The Warmaster's Arise
by Blackgold Night
Summary: This is a story about circumstances and what you make of them. Remnant is a place where people live and by die the whims of monsters for reasons they don't understand in the slightest. Those confused, insane and imperfect creatures have a road to power unlike anything they've ever imagined built over a the lives and choices of the people before them. Now, they're going to walk it.
1. The Moment of Truth

**Okay, Hello everyone, A bit of an edit of my story. Didn't quite know how The site worked with posting stories the first time around so here we are. I'd like to thank everyone who read it the first time around, and also like to ask for reviews because while I am confident in my ability to be a good writer eventually? I am well aware believing you are perfect is a one way road to genuine asspullery, not a word but you have it now and you can thank me/pay me for having it. Either way, gimme reviews if you can.**

* * *

**The Moment of Truth's Prosper**

Wise men tell of all the world's mysteries being far and away beyond the scope of any one person's ability to understand. People go through life knowing and accepting this, or running away from it, and to be honest it isn't really a problem most people are ever going to have to face. But the question hanging back in your head, that little fly asking you why everything is the way it is, and what's stopping all the things you can't control or understand from ending everything you've put together? Well, for many, if not everyone and everything alive, that can be the deciding factor about whether or not to ever chose to take a real step forward.

Whether or not you feel like you can control if there's going to be an axe coming down on your head the next day.

That day was front and center for the kind villagers of Murasaki Oni village, as a simple chipped red axe was flying down on the heads of each and every person who got in a certain kids way. With pure red eyes and short black hair in torn a torn shirt and patchwork, _mostly_ black pants, a young Qrow Branwen jumped back and blocked an oncoming cleaver, with said bloodstained red axe, from a large man in a Baker's uniform in the middle of one burning village courtesy of the Branwen tribe.

Quickly noting the big man in the large apron had clearly never met battle in his life before, Qrow barely grunted as he pushed the cleaver back. He was about to slash him down but instead, he raised an eyebrow as a gray katana blade exited the bakers stomach from behind him. Raven usually never helped unless he either really needed it, or she was really bored. Must not have been many fighters in the village. Lucky him.

The Baker looked down at the blade and honestly wasn't all that surprised, which definitely surprised Qrow. The man did the usual dance and gurgled blood from his lips as he fell to the ground, but he only kneeled on one leg. He didn't-_wouldn't_, fall. Qrow reevaluated the Baker and gave him an impressed look. He had to give it to the man, many people-as he'd seen and been personally responsible for many times-would be yelling or crying to their gods until they croaked, and he'd actually never seen someone take a blade to the gut and not so much as whimper before. Hell, he was damn sure he'd at least be cursing so bad the godforsaken village would be haunted just from the words he'd say.

Then things got weird.

Then, the man kneeling in a growing pool of his own blood looked up to Qrow even as his guts started spilling out of his stomach. A certain kid might then have stepped back at that point, and a certain kids sister might have been giving a respectful look to the Baker, while also keeping her distance. They both knew what kind of shit someone on their last legs could pull.

A lot bandits tended to die to people who suddenly had nothing left to lose.

There was no fear in the mans eyes though, and as he moved his right arm with his left over his wound to keep his guts where they would normally be, Raven kept her blade steady while Qrow angled his cleaver. A drop of sweat falling in between his eyes.

He told himself that it was the heat from the fires, then had to hold back a laugh at the lie. He'd personally started too many fires to not know when he was bullshitting. Though he kind of wanted to jump when he heard what came out of the mans mouth next.

"Inside...the bakery, my daughter. Take her with you. Love...love, and protect her."

"...what?"

That was Raven. Qrow didn't say a thing. This nutjob wanted to give his fuckin' _kid _to the bastards that turned his village into a glorified ashtray and taught his insides what the outside of his body looked like? He nearly cursed out the fucker right there and then, but, for some reason? He actually thought about it. The man was fucking steadfast, and it sure as hell wasn't like from time to time they didn't need to _extract _new blood into the tribe from a raid. They were annoying, but everyone got the pecking order soon enough.

Love and protect were a big order, but he could at least mostly manage the latter with extra training.

"Raven, go grab the girl."

He could feel the raised eyebrow she was giving him, but she didn't protest it, which he honestly considered a miracle from the damned gods themselves. She didn't sheathe her blade but she went inside the store, leaving him with the old Baker. His entrails had started leaking despite his best efforts, but he wasn't out of the fight just yet. Qrow was starting to feel something was really off. He nearly started jittering from the feeling, but the man raised his right hand.

_"What? I knew he was moving it before. Did I get so distracted about the thing with the kid I missed his hands? Fucking hell, that's a one-way ticket to getting knifed back home."_

"Wha-"

The man's body began to glow a powerful purple.

Qrow lunged back and tried to do his damnedest to think of a way out of this.

He had heard about this, about ghost stories where one guy or gal managed to bust out whatever magic made huntsmen so damn terrifying during a raid. Fuck, there was literally nothing worse than this, how the hell did he let this go down?

The man threw something into the air towards Qrow and the boy couldn't stop himself in time. He braced and prayed to the gods he wasn't about to become a pile of goo on the floor or turn into pieces because a Baker in the ass end of nowhere just so happened to have a blow-bandit-kids-up-with-thrown-magic-bombs power hidden in his ass crack.

The damn thing clinked against his chest, and on a reflex he violently swore at, he caught it before it landed on the ground. He opened his palm and found a broken wooden cross attached to a necklace sitting inside of it. He gave a confused look to the Baker.

The man grunted. His skin was pale and they could both practically feel death calling him now. He gave Qrow a fucking smile of all things, then said his piece.

"Tell...the girl too...life, isn't something with one golden, great rule. There's no way that's...gah, gods above-t-that's s-something...something anyone can reach. That and, the lives of others...aren't things to be taken lightly. Death comes to everything at some point, so don't run towards it, but don't make other people run headlong into it either. The only thing anyone can do is the only thing we were given when we were...ack, gah...born. Find the path in life that gives us what we need. Find the way that grants us, just a little bit of faith. Even if the path ahead seems like it has no answer...that doesn't mean you shouldn't look. Shouldn't...push forward, and...try. Wishes...aren't things...to look down on. Beyond everything else...it's all anyone's got. That's the one thing I...gah, aha, looks like times...up..."

The man fell forward, and Qrow's heart was jumping in his chest. He was shivering, and his knuckles were white over the cross. He looked at it.

"What the hell. What did he do to this thing? What did those words mean? What...what's going on?!"

Qrow grit his teeth and ran into the bakery, which is when things really got weird. When he got through the doors the place just put him off.

It was a plain old bakery with a stall holding a bunch of really nice looking treats behind it in the back of the room. The place smelled nice, and there were decorations all over each and every wall. Some looked like they were straight out of a kids movie. He even saw a poster for a vytal cup. What the fuck? It just seemed so...different, from what he was expecting from a guy like _that_, that he kinda lost his bearings. Some rustling from the side of the counter snapped him out of it. A kid about seven years old by his guess was being hefted over Raven's shoulder while she was standing in a doorway to the upper floors, with the kid unconscious. A blondie with pigtails in a yellow dress. She had scrapings of food around her mouth, like she'd been eating a cookie.

Qrow locked eyes with Raven, who was giving him an annoyed look. "The hell's got you spooked? The old man bust out something on you? I don't see any wounds."

The boy wanted to speak, but he shelved it. They were on a clock. He just grunted and grabbed a sack of treats by the door before bolting, with Raven quickly catching up.

One thing Qrow was good with was time, and there was a set period he allowed himself and Raven inside a village during an attack.

That time period was 3 minutes from being over.

Raven damn well knew that, but she didn't let things like impending death get in her way when it came to making him feel like a wimp. She called it 'the holiest duty of the older sister' and pointedly made his body hurt in ways it wasn't supposed to when he tried to bring up the fact they were twins when mom wasn't around to stop her. Never mind saying he was older.

"So, mind telling me the name of the boogeyman that has you pissing your pants this time? Come on little bird, tell your sis where it touched you this time. I'll fight it off just like last week."

"I haven't been scared of the boogeyman since I was seven!"

"Qrow, we all know some things are harder to grow out of than others. Don't worry even a little bit, I'll let you sleep in my cot after I check under yours just like before."

A groan was Qrow's response to her chuckle as they approached the gate. Sadly, it was not to be a simple slash-and-grab.

"You monsters!" cried a man at the exit. This one had armor over his chest, a wild look in his eyes, and a figure that had seen combat. A guard.

They got to work.

Raven threw the girl into the air and dropped down into a slide between his legs, tripping him with her outstretched blade as he whipped out his long sword and tried to slash her in half, though she managed to make it with just a little hair cut off. Catching the girl behind him and running out of the gate. As he fell, Qrow easily flowed into his sisters rhythm and swung his chipped axe right at the man's eyes in a horizontal slice, nearly splitting the man's head in two from the blow. With a slight grunt he twisted around on the ball of his foot, pulling the weapon out and jumping on the corpse before it even hit the ground. Hell, Qrow was pretty sure the damn guy was twitching a bit despite his gray matter being half of what it used to be.

"Must've been a smart one. Too bad for him."

Another dead, another gone, and the only thing that mattered was that he'd better have something worth it on him for wasting a Branwen's time. Though, there was a strange tinge of something in Qrow as he finished going over the corpse. He ignored it, and pocketed a wallet full of lien and a sack of some dust into his new bag full of goodies, plus a new sword he strapped over his back and some daggers. Shame he couldn't pocket the armor, but as he had less than a minute now, weighing himself down even further was not in the good idea handbook. He got up and started _running_, pushing himself and catching up with Raven and the rest of the tribe eventually. Took some doing, but he managed to run up beside Raven with the girl over her shoulder. She gave him a weird look and he scowled back. She rolled her eyes.

"Qrow? Stop daydreaming-" She thought he was daydreaming? The hell? "-I'll be the first one to admit that old man...was an imposition. But we've got to get back home before the Grimm-''

"RAHU, GRAH! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Both children and everyone around them doubled, tripled, and quadrupled it quick at the sounds of the Grimm. "Nevermind" was all Raven dared intone. Once again the two ran, a boy and a girl of 13 years each, from their persecutors. The beasts of shadow and loath had come, and they raised hell upon the remaining inhabitants of Murasaki Oni Village.

But the two never looked back. They only heard the footsteps of more of their fellows slowly join them, felt the wind against their skin, and the sounds of horrid, unreal black things on the hunt scrape against their ears. The only thing they didn't feel, oddly, was the fresh and hot blood on their skin, more dead in that way than those whose lives they'd reaped.

* * *

On that day, Qrow Branwen and his sister returned to the cesspool he called home. A walled off camp in the middle of Anima's asscrack.

Within said asscrack he found several large tents belonging to the many people he called family, for reasons beyond him most...well all of his days. A wave to Celandira, the busty redhead with chipped teeth who'd taken his, and just about every young man in the tribes first time. Luckily enough for her that number was always somewhat low, so compared to some of the other women in the camp she was just about whatever they would call chaste enough that people didn't often call her a whore.

A scowl to Meriolg, the fair brunette boy who always cheated him more than the others when they played cards. Jealous bastard was always thinking of ways he could sneak the seat of the leader from him. Fat fucking chance. They both knew if they fought, the victor would have to take on Raven.

Quickly, the large sack of shit he, and sadly several others, called Verdant on more than only one day in their lives bumped him in the shoulder, the damn bastard, and the two quickly got into an argument filled with promises of agonizing torture and insults to both men's...well one man and one child's, personal families.

It was home.

While Qrow caught up with his loved ones, Raven went to the supply tent to drop off their new belongings and set the girl down in her tent. No one would touch her there, even if she really had no reason to be afraid. They were bandits, but they were bandits with certain rules. Touching a kid being one of the worst that ended with the perpetrator very much wishing they were dead.

Eventually, Qrow went into the tent of one of the few people he truly could call an ally here and anywhere.

Swearing deeply, a blonde faunus with violet eyes and fanged teeth with a strange membrane down his back, like a fish's fin but black and sturdier, held his bleeding hand against his topless light-brown chest. He hissed at the cut on his finger, and the bloody knife on the floor lead Qrow to guess the culprit. Qrow picked up the knife and gave his friend a lazy smile.

"Merkava, what are ya doing here? Bleeding yourself makes people think somethings wrong up there man, not exactly a method to grab you points if you know what I mean."

Merkava gave his friend a sharp glare, "Qrow, do me a favor and see if you can replicate what's happening to my finger with your throat. If it actually gets you shut up for a second? I know I'll have all the points I need to get Raven begging me for it." Qrow choked hearing his friend say that with a straight face, and shook his head as he sat down on a nearby bucket with a light grin on _his_ face.

"Don't think I know what's worse, you saying that, or you being probably right." Merkava put out his good hand for the knife, and glowered as he got it back. "Just practicing my knife skills. Your dad's a fucking asshole sometimes but be grateful he teaches you how to fight. In any case, have you been able to see you mother since Abaddon?" Qrow sucked in his teeth, and let out a long sigh while hunching over at the dark topic. "Naw, she's still in the Doc's tent, Bennett better be able to fix that wound, if a single fucking hair on her-"

"Qrow"

Ravens voice cut through their chatter, and it's tone froze them both. She was at the tents opening, holding it like she could barely feel it and just staring at the two boys.

Not looking, staring.

Qrow had never in his life seen that kind of look on Raven's face. Oh she'd been sad-even bitchiness of the highest order couldn't kill a childhood that easily-but Qrow felt in his heart what that look meant, and before he spoke he prayed to the Brothers for mercy. Prayed not for the last time for some good to be given in his life. Merkava placed a hand on Qrow's shoulder, but he shrugged it off.

"Raven, the fuck are you looking at? What happened?" Only the two in the tent could hear the quiver in his voice, and only Raven's silence was answer enough for him.

They ran, both of them to their mothers medical tent.

Rook Branwen was a beautiful woman, hair like a solid, raw beautiful night done in a dozen curls with golden rings spun into them, red and pure eyes still vibrant as she took in her children. Her skin was pale as bone and colder than snow, but she still managed to wave away the tribes doctor and few aids from her white bed. Qrow watched Bennett leave, remembering him. Raven was at her mother's side, shaking and silently crying as she touched her face. Qrow soon joined her on the other side of the bed.

For a long moment they simply laid like that. No one said a damn thing. How could they? What fucking words would've made sense? How could anything make what was happening work?

Memories of chasing each other around the camp. Singing songs with dad and the whole tribe drunk in the middle of the night, damn the Grimm with a huge fuck-you bonfire they lit with nevermore corpses. Necklaces of flowers on their heads at random moments, and the tastes of fresh cookies and pies on the rare occasions they holed up in a village after an attack.

Smiles when they didn't know what the fuck they were supposed to do and the world seemed like it was a whole big pile of nothing laughing at them. Hugs when the night was cold and the raids gave back practically nothing. Stories after times when the tribe woke up nearby patches of Grimm.

Holding a book in front of all the children in the camp and teaching everyone how to read. Yelling at their father before a raid when he said it was too risky or that they needed to kill hostages before things got to hot. The times they were yelled at for pulling stupid shit, the times they got slapped when she was angry and she said things that made them cry-they all were here now. They all, each and every memory, made themselves home in the tent right now.

All this, before Rook weakly began her last words.

"Listen...my two beautiful, beautiful birds. Today is the last time we'll speak for a very, very long time. But I will still be there, over your shoulder. There's never going to be a moment when I leave either one of you alone to look after yourselves. Call it haunting if you want, but each time you hear a sound that didn't seem quite right? Look over your shoulder because you feel something there? That'll be me, watching every second of your lives, of your journey. I'm never going to let you two or your father stay alone, so remember to _never_ forget to stay strong. In heart and mind, you two must always be your very best selves. Because your mother _will _be there beside you."

A tear fell from her face, and she let out a soft laugh. "I, dear gods, I'm honestly sorry I never got to show you the old palace. Those bastards from Mistral took the home of our tribe and reduced us...to this. Fucking gods, have I ever even told you about your last name, Branwen?"

Both had heard, in her drunken stupor and mild rage, their mother rant about the loss of the Branwen tribes ancient home. Again and again on how it was assaulted by 'fucktard' Mistralian forces at the tail end of the Great War. How their mother watched as some arrogant general laid siege to their home in the name of hunting traitors to a sick kingdom. But, they'd never heard her talk about her last name, and said as much to her.

Rook laughed again, harder, and it was a sound like bells. Ringing, pounding bells that slowly, oh so slowly fell into soft coughs.

"Then, you should know it's a name meaning the white raven. The raven of the soft ivory heavens, and it is the name of an old goddess of Anima. In the past our family were her priests, believed to be her secret descendants, and I believe we are. She was a goddess of love and beauty, known for her kindness and compassion, and the fact that I gave birth to you two? That speaks to me. Practically screams in my face that we did in fact gain her blood."

Hearing this, Qrow had never in his life felt that everything in the world was the result of a seriously screwed up joke. Even Raven jerked back slightly hearing that, getting another laugh for her troubles.

"It's true! All of it! But I'll be the first to admit her story was definitely not one you'd wanna hear twice kids. Understand, she was given away as a wife to a handsome but dark king. A present to help bind the two feuding divisions of Anima at the time. But her brother? He hated seeing her given away, and in his anger he affronted her husband directly. That was the first in a long string of attacks the two men threw at one another. They fought like mad dogs against each other until the time came when Branwens husband chose to give the throne of all of Anima to his son by Branwen herself, thereby giving it to his wives family to bring peace between him and his stepbrother for the transgressions he'd made in his anger and sour nature, hoping Branwen's brother would do the same. But that dark king? He wasn't able to pacify his people. Those that both had hurt in their war."

Rook coughed at this, and Qrow swore at the blood soaking through the blanket but Rook had told her children both to listen because they wouldn't get a second chance, and they both fucking knew it. Screw the fucking gods, but they knew it.

"They demanded blood. They'd been sent into war, and now their king was giving it all up? To the fuckwit that threw the first punch? They wanted Branwens brother to bleed, and though their greatest attempt to kill him failed it was enough to anger him again. He had detected and stopped the attack before it happened, but during the feast they had later to celebrate the two sides becoming one, in a random act of anger he threw his nephew into the great fire of the hall. The bastard killed the one sacrifice he'd been given in order to bring peace, resulting in another great war to consume all of Anima, and eventually, causing Branwens brother to kill himself in a failed attempt to end the war made in his rage. The screwed up thing being that act itself was the final blow that resulted in his sister dying of a broken heart. Not even stilling the conflict. That kids? That is the tale of our ancestor."

Rook coughed harshly from having spoken so much, but still smiled as her children came close, both weeping, and she reached for the possessions on her neckline. "I am sorry, I cannot say it enough, but I am sorry I was not able to give you two the lives you deserved. No one can deny that our families story for a long damn time has been one giant mess of war and a lot of loss. We've got a history of losing ourselves easily to tales of tragedy and sorrow by giving into our worst emotions, but neither can we simply allow life to pass us by and embrace peace. No Branwen to my knowledge has ever been lucky enough to avoid fates hand and I doubt such a thing may ever come to pass. But that doesn't fucking matter."

Rook took the red necklaces she always wore and gave them to Raven, smiling deeply into her eyes. "My beautiful girl, you are the most brilliant woman to ever grace Remnant! Never let anyone say different. You know much of strength, you know its purpose and expect it out of others, but you should never deny the truest part of yourself. You hold a deep love in your heart Raven. You're always by the side of the tribe and most importantly your brother. You have within you the heart of a mother, of someone who's at her absolute strongest when she's beside the people she cares about. Always there for those who your heart is owed. I love that about you, I always have and I always will. Even from beyond the grave. Always."

At this point, Raven was gripping her mother's hand tightly, whimpering. Qrow was completely lost, Raven never whimpered, she never showed weakness, what was happening? What was this? He wasn't given any time to question anything. His mother's hands soon placed a similar token on his neck. A small white, silver cross. His mother noted the one already around his neck, he'd put it on after ranting at Verdant without a thought. Rook just "heh'd" and removed the wooden one, locking the silver one in it's place.

"I always planned on getting you a cross necklace. All I had the time for was this one silver piece I knew would just look perfect on you, but I could never find a jeweler to make a good necklace out of it...I guess whatever gods are out there aren't so bad after all. Listen, Qrow, my dearest, your love is more free than your sisters, but no lesser. You always act as if there is something wrong in you, as if you are not enough. Listen to me when I say that is not and will never be true. You are my baby, my one and my only, and you possess a wish in you Qrow. Every day I would watch you gazing at the stars, alone, and I always knew you were never sad. You always wondered about the 'strange feeling' you feel, that little twinge that makes you think you should be doing something you're not? It's emptiness. There's something that's missing you need to have. Something you want to hold. My little Qrow, that thing you're looking for is called faith."

She said these words with a large smile on her face, beaming with pride at her son. Qrow was cursing every living idea of the gods and demanding they fix their screw up right now.

Her pulse wasn't getting weaker. Her eyes _weren't_ getting dimmer.

FUCK!

"You have a deep sense of faith in you Qrow, you give it to your sister, and trust in her completely and absolutely. But you wish to give your heart out even more don't you? You lack that one thing, that one true ideal, to give yourself entirely too. One day you will find it my son. That one thing that makes your heart beat with joy, the path that gives you true happiness and makes every day feel like it's worth it, and I can't wait for that day Qrow, for you to find your fai-Ack."

Rook coughed out blood on the sheets, and Qrow could feel a panic attack coming on. His hands were so sweaty, he could feel his heart in his chest, was the room moving? It seemed to be moving for him…

Rook spoke once more, this time a whisper; "I am only sorry I won't be alive to see either Raven's love blossom...or Qrow's faith be met. But I'll still see it...oh gods-"

She jerked up and gasped then, a sharp and small, soft thing both of them barely caught. It was the gravedigger's bell.

She laid back on the bed, and gave both of her Children's hands a tight squeeze. Qrow thought at a rapid pace, thinking of something to say, anything, something that would stop this nightmare.

"Mom, why, why did this happen?"

That was all he managed. He didn't understand it, he couldn't and refused to ever really know. Rook gave her son a bitter smile, and responded honestly:

"It happened because of what I chose Qrow. What I decided to do given the life I was allowed to live. Some people will tell you nothing at all really matters. They'll say what use is good and evil in a place where either can flourish, and mean different things to everyone? What use is anything at all except doing what you want? People who have committed crimes far worse than mine have died in lush palaces surrounded by jewels and family, and gone off just as happily. So have those who've done everything in their power to make the world a better place. In the end, it's all a road built by the choices we all made while we had the chance. People are endlessly moving in a world where nothing they hold tightly to themselves has any protection aside from what build around it, and no power or importance placed on those things aside from what they believe in, and because nothing gives what they care about some kind of sign that it's something worth their time aside from themselves, they sometimes give up on the idea of anything really being important. But, we have choice don't we? We aren't told what's right or what's wrong, we make those decisions ourselves. I think that alone is enough of an answer telling you that what you believe in is important, because you had to make the choice yourself. That choice led you conflict with others, feel pain when it was proven imperfect, and took you down a road that lead you to your end. My choices are what I built my life around Qrow. They're why I have you and Raven. They're why this tribe exists...and it's why I'm here now. Dying from a wound I took when one of my choices clashed against someone else's, and mine lost. Good, evil, they both have power given to them from the people who give power to them, but so does every other choice you make. What you give your power too, will determine where you stand. Where you will be, and who and what will be allowed to live. Raven, Qrow, choose. Both of you, choose to be what you both more than anything else wish to be, that's all I can ask of you. That and, you two must always remember, there is a reason your last names are Branwen. The word itself means to be loved and beautiful and I want, _wish to_ hear you both say it. To say your names in their full meaning. That's my final wish, and my final choice."

Qrow wiped the tears from his eyes with his arm and choked a little. "Mom I can't, I'm not-" the look in her eyes silenced him. Those glowing red eyes just wanted to hear it...and he gasped, crying hot, scalding tears.

But the boy managed it:

"Qrow, he who is loved and beautiful."

They both looked to Raven, whose eyes were a total full red from the tears pouring down her face. Her lips trembled, snot was falling her face and she looked to be a second from bawling, but she gasped and opened her mouth:

"Raven, she who is loved and beautiful."

Qrow turned and saw the lovely smile on his mother's face. But when Raven fully broke down and started bawling on the floor, he realized what it meant.

"Mom, did you…? Mom? MOM ARE YOU-"

* * *

**That's the end of that. And by definition, the beginning of something else. Time for a story.**


	2. Now, it's time for humanity's first step

**Second chapter, lets have a bit of fun here why don't we, Also, today marks the first day I start to think about where in the actual hell I'm going to take Merkava's character. Let's all have fun on that trip together. I sure as hell know I'm going to go hog wild with some of this shit.**

**STRAP IN MOTHERFUCKERS! THIS ENTIRE WORLDS GONG TO BE SET ABLAZE AND YOU? You have the best seats in the house to watch the inferno smolder...**

* * *

**Time for Humanity's next step**

Qrow was grateful for the rain that day. If ever there was proof of the Brother gods vigilance over Remnant, it was in the fact that it rained on the day a woman like Rook Branwen died. No thunder booming across the skies, no lightning calling down from the distance either. Only the grass of the clearing from where the tombstone rose, and the steady tears of the gods falling from the dark clouds were here. He found himself thankful for it.

He also felt it was necessary, he'd never quite remembered the fact he had someone's blood on his face. Nobody had reminded him. But looking at the soil where his mother lay inside, looking at the small rivers of water that fell towards it? He noticed the red tinge of the one, _one_ small river that lead back to his body, made from the blood that fell from his skin. Looking at that river of crimson seemed to call back everything from that day in crystal clear memory. The eyes of his mother and her words. That damn Baker and everything he said, even the kid stuck in Raven's tent sleeping off a head wound...he was seriously questioning all of it.

Once a little blood was nothing different than the dirt he hustled through getting from one village to the next. He'd fucking felt zilch. Now though?

Now Qrow was enjoying the two pleasures called sorrow and unimaginably deep pain. It was like a void had started in the center of his heart, and moved out till it touched everything inside of him. It wasn't the 'tinge' he'd always felt-no, the 'emptiness'. That was was his mother called it and that was what it was. No this was way worse than that, this? This hurt. He would never be able to tell someone how, but he was certain it would always hurt. The exact same way and the exact same amount or even more till he was dead. Nothing would ever change it, but it got him thinking.

How many people did he make feel like this? He wondered if that guard had children. If there was a little girl or boy that watched him cut his dad's head nearly in half and loot his corpse before being eaten by the Grimm. He chuckled softly at such a ridiculous thought, he fucking knew it was probably true. Not that the man had a kid, or that the kid had seen what had happened before he'd become Grimm food, but he damn well knew others that had seen him do the same or worse to their loved ones in a raid.

He'd learned to ignore their screams. Now he was wondering if that didn't make him the most fucked up asshole in the world. His mother had always tried her damnedest to have the tribe shed as little blood as possible in the raids. Telling people to line up and steal piece by piece from them, then leaving their towns when they had enough. Night raids where they silently crept in and stole everything without getting noticed. Targeting supply locations above all else and leaving merchants with just enough to get by when they stopped them on the road.

He should've gotten the hint.

Hell, even now most of him was damn sure that the next time the tribe needed supplies he'd be there with his axe. But this pain that wouldn't let the tears end? This pain that had his sister, _Raven_ of all people, clutched to his mothers grave and praying endlessly for her to return to every god, spirit and legend they'd heard about while in the countryside? The fuck was he supposed to say to that? The answer that was blaring in his mind was to nut-the-fuck-UP and do everything he could to make the tribe the most feared gang of killers this side of Remnant.

Though, there was still a question he couldn't help but see in those eyes that looked back at him from the blood trail leading to her grave. What did he have to do to make something out of all of this and do what his mother said? To find his faith? Because he was shit at lying to himself most days, and he damn well knew banditry wasn't going to be anything close to honoring his mother. It hadn't so far and doing the same thing and expecting different results? Well his mom and his dad had done one thing. They'd made damn sure he remembered what the definition of insanity was.

But there wasn't anything else was there? No other option. He was a bum whose only skill was killing in the backwoods ass of a war-torn country. Options were not exactly your strong suit when every citizen in the world had their number one priority by law when they met you, to either call the cops or shoot first and never even dream of asking questions.

There was something that spoke to him though, spoke and made some sense in this giant mosh pit of...just, unreal. Something about Raven here he didn't like that he could focus on to make the questions and the agony just something else to bare. Just a bit.

It was the was wearing a Grimm mask over her face.

She'd been wandering the tribe after their mother gave them her last gifts, and Raven...he had no idea what had happened to her. Over and over she'd walked through the tribe, eyes wide and moving her lips but not talking. Tears were falling in torrents from her face as she relentlessly clutched and groped at her own skin and the beads she never took off. No one who looked at her recognized her. No one understood what they saw and no one wanted to stop her.

No one had the heart to.

Eventually she stumbled into their father's collection and came out with a Grimm mask over her face. For some reason, he found it similar to the blood still on his body. Something wrong about them both. But he couldn't say what the answer to that was. He didn't have one.

"Bunch of bullshit is what this is, you two still crying over that flimsy pair of tits?!" someone in particular screamed.

Neither of them drew their weapons, still at their hips. They recognized their father's drunken spiel any day. Malruk Branwen, a buff man in a ripped black shirt and cream jeans with holes in them, with red hair and black eyes, walked over to his wife's grave and sneered at his son and daughter, hot tears Qrow was unsure weren't tinged with...with _blood_ coming out of his eyes still falling from his face. The boy didn't even think that was possible. Somehow both Qrow and Raven could hear them despite the rain. They could hear and feel each as his tears fell on her tomb, the sounds of each one, somehow stronger than the raindrops.

"You two both better get your asses in gear! Forget about her! Fucking bitch was always holding us back! You remember her talk about only killing when needed? The bimbo would sometimes haggle with the villages! No bloodshed on either side if we got ransom? The bitch, that weak old bag killed more men than I could count! Hypo-hypocrite…"

Malruk broke.

Crumpled and kneeled at his wife's tomb a broken mess, sobbing and whimpering to the rain, gritting his teeth just to stay conscious.

"You, you...you always talked about going back. Of making this motely bunch of jackoffs something strong enough to take back the Branwen palace right?! Well whose gonna do that now huh! You think I can? Gah…fucking gods above, you think _I _can do that?" he sobbed, he curled into a ball and sobbed over the dirt.

"You think I can fight against the Huntsman alone? Those fucking freaks of nature?! Forget it! Fuck it all! You...you…why…? I...just need you back..."

The man collapsed over his wife's tomb. His cries a hundred upon a thousand times louder than any storm, any thunder. "Brothers why? Why did it have to end like this?"

* * *

2 weeks Later, the Branwen tribe was more than a little bitter about their loss. Rook was something dear to everyone in the tribe, in some senses the main reason they were able to continue what they did and still find a reason to smile the next day. Of course they couldn't be too sour about the whole thing. Grimm tended to make mourning a frowned upon art, since it'd quickly become a mass funeral if people were allowed to cry over their loved ones. The creatures of Grimm had come out in full force on the day of Rooks passing, and thus the tribe had burnt through many of its resources to defend itself.

Fortunately, Rook and Malruk Branwen were nothing if not eager and paranoid respectively, and always made sure to pack up and loot as many weapons as they could. Even going so far as to instill strict training regimens into the bandit clan.

The Beowulfs came and met the same guest as the Ursa did: the bazooka.

That was roughly one-fourth the reason they hadn't been able to fulfill her last wish: for her body to be buried in the cemetery of the Branwen clan on the original grounds of her home. Strangely enough, the cemetery was separated from the old ancestral home of the tribe, actually close enough to southern Anima that under normal circumstances they could probably manage it. That was where the survivors of Mistrals assault had buried the corpses they could gain, her true family.

Qrow Branwen had spent nearly every second since his mother's short funeral in his tent, dead to the world. All there was, was the pain. The angry, sour, permanent despair. It was worse when he woke up the next day and didn't hear his mother's music. Her soft singing in the mourning to wake him up. They tribe had to fight more Grimm that day.

That was the only time he spent outside his tent, fighting. The rest was in misery, remembering her touch, her laughter, her anger and how she'd always have time to spend with him. Always an open ear for him and Raven, her two lovely birds.

He was fairly certain he was at least half the reason the Grimm were still attacking, but no one stopped him. Not until he finally started to think on other things, things more worrying in the moment and distracting.

Inside of his tent at the moment Qrow was seriously trying to figure out a way to move his mother's coffin to the cemetery, but always came back to the fact that the Grimm would shred him long before he made it there alone, and after the constant attacks the tribe didn't have the resources to move that far while the Revolution was going on in full heat.

At least not without a metric _fuckload _of risk. The graveyard was still in old Anima country and some older families-with money and huntsmen-weren't too far away enough. They might not be on guard normally, but the Revolution put everyone on guard.

Surprisingly, less guards defending not as necessary towns and more soldiers in live combat meant attacking villages was a lot easier and the black market practically exploded in Mistral, out of sheer need from how much relying on the government of the kingdom just wasn't viable. It also meant every grimm and their mother was in a frenzy and what few places were guarded were a thousand times harder to get to. He silently looked over the poster of the grim reaper that lay torn in a heap on the ground now, the same state most everything he owned now shared. Torn or thrown when 'angry' suddenly became his go to emotion...

He wished he had her strength, her power. Huntsmen were legends, and nobody wouldn't know of the legend among legends, the greatest hero among Hero's. That strength...with it, he could've saved his mother. With it, things would be different...with it, he could at least give her the burial she deserved. If he was a king among gods then the ones who were in his way would either kneel or die.

But he wasn't a god. He was a pebble right now. Less than fuck dirt right now wasn't he? He nearly got ready to start thrashing his room again when a visitor ruined his plans.

"Qrow, get up" came a calm voice from the tent flap. Recognizing it, after a grunt and figuring out a path through the rubble, with a hop over some broken barrels put in for extra measure, Qrow was on his feet and walking towards Raven. Very worried. She had gotten to wearing that mask more often, and right now she was staring at him from behind a fake plate of bone and red markings strangely in a goats form.

Qrow shuddered to ever meet a grimm with a goat's head, but only half in fear, and half in rage that the thing was still on her damn face!

She was dressed in a black leather vest and greaves with a long sleeve white jacket that ended at her elbows, tucked into a pair of gauntlets. She had a pistol at her side with two daggers on her other and her sword was hidden, but he knew she still had it.

Qrow snarled, then put the most fake-ass smarmy grin imaginable on his face.

"Yo, Rav, how about we talk face to face? Like, you know, actual fucking people?" Raven was undeterred, and he only got more pissed when he realized he couldn't see her expression, but he knew it was blank. He knew she was trying to put up an emotionless stare. Neither of them knew why he was angry, hell he was half the reason the Grimm had been attacking, at least she'd found a way to bottle it up. Yet...

"I am perfectly fine speaking as I am" she responded in a toneless deadpan dry enough to make Vale into a second Vacuo. Hearing that? Qrow glared hard at his sister, and wordlessly, he walked right up to her face and slowly took off her mask. If he tried shit like that normally his ass would be making love to the dirt and they both knew it. But normally had gone out the fucking window, and they both also knew _that._

He met her dead look head on, and noted her eyes were both still red from crying, just like his. He smirked. "looks like we found the other half of the answer to the question 'why are the Grimm are still around?' Though when all's said and done, we both know the Grimm understand that just one half, and we both know which, is too sexy to kill." A glint in her eyes was the only thing in return for his poor humor.

"Give. It. Back." she said.

"You think mom wants to watch you spend every hour of the day with a damn Grimm's head? Let's make a deal, you lose the mask, I get out of the tent." Raven's dead look broke, and Qrow smiled and felt butterflies in his heart as she looked absolutely murderous, like he was a plague on the world that needed to be eviscerated until it's living memory was wiped from history.

Thank the gods, she wanted to kill him again!

"Qrow, you have been here for two weeks and are absolutely more than half the reason we're still getting light Grimm attacks, do not-"

"Listen, please, just don't wear the damn mask all the time."

The two stared each other down for a long moment, but with a hiss, they both released their anger. The Grimm would not be kind to their grief, and their mother would not appreciate their behavior. Easy to know, hard to do. Raven took the mask back and put it on her hip as she left the tent, and Qrow slapped himself in the face at her silly work around.

He walked out of the tent to the eager face of the second person he'd abandoned during his self-imposed exile, Merkava. He was dressed in a long poncho and with a pirate hat on his head and his mouth covered by a piece of cloth, with white pants and combat boots ready for the day. Qrow honestly thought he looked pretty cool, especially when compared to Qrows own simple sorta red dress shirt.

It was basically a robe but slimmer in the arms, and with said arms made out more like a regular suit than baggy like some kind of wizard, with a yellow sash around the middle. His mother had called it a Qi pao before Qrow ripped the edges of the arms for a cooler effect and made it into what she called a joke.

Not a funny one now.

"Buddy, you heading out? What for?" hearing that, Merkava blinked at his friend "The Grimm attacks that just kinda happened? New supplies for the tribe? The fact I can't exactly show up in a village anywhere on Anima without being turned into faunus-flavored seafood thanks to the fact Menagerie decided to go ballistic? You're coming with to buddy."

Oh. In Qrow's defense, his job was just to loot anything not nailed to the ground by any means necessary and sometimes field backup most of the time. Everyone knew about the war, but the only people not thinking about it every second were, ironically, the people who probably profited the most out of the fact the kingdoms couldn't do shit to defend themselves when every faunus on the planet was out for blood. Not so for his buddy as of late though. Huh.

"By the way, Happy birthday man."

Qrow blinked, that was right wasn't it? Today was his and Raven's birthday. Their father had made plans for the tribe to celebrate it alongside their mother's-aaand it was time to think about other things. Anything else. Mission? Mission was good, Mission kept the Grimm at least only attacking him.

"Raven coming with? Which village we headed to anyway?" Merkava grinned and wrapped an arm around Qrow, leaning on him, "Soichiro my man! Good place for food and we can get in touch with Uncle Jackai up there. You think we could grab a mecha-shift weapon?"

Qrow snorted, he'd sooner see a boarbatusk grow wings and eat a nevermore for breakfast. Hunter weapons were for the people with the gods damned name. "Did you suddenly start shiting exploding gold, enough to kill the Grimm and get paid like a huntsman? No? Then hope for good guns pal. That's all we can hope for...unless I could grab a scythe, then Uncle Jackai couldn't stop me to save his life."

Merkava whooped and patted Qrow on the back. "AHHH! Yes! Qrow, the man on the mission is back in the game! Who knows? Those Atlas bubs are spilling new gadgets every second. If Uncle Jackai to points us to a military base, you think they'd care if they lost one new toy? One in the huge pile?"

"Yes, probably enough to gut you both." Said Raven, puling them into a quick stride until all three were out of the tribe. "Come on, we'll need to move quickly and we're not just stopping at Soichiro. A huntsmen came to the attack on Murasaki Oni and made things difficult at the other end of the village from where we were. We lost Abner, Gretta, and Gold tongue. Some others as well. We would've lost more if the Grimm hadn't come in so on time. Dad wants to make a plan to take care the huntsmen and huntresses now rather than later, and these weapons are a beginning." Qrow was silent at that, in the tent he'd had much time to think, think on everything…

Nevertheless, both he and Raven left the tribe with Merkava in tow, riding on a stolen buggy on the road towards the town. Merkava was the oldest of the three by two years, and drove. Leaving Qrow and Raven to rest together in the back.

Qrow gave is sister a look, just silently taking her in. She noticed, but only gave him passing glances as time wore on. Eventually, Qrow just decided to come out with it, took a deep breath, and talked: "Raven, Merkava, do you guys think it's a good idea to keep killing?"

Merkava stopped the buggy and gave Qrow the 'did those words actually come out of a living things mouth?' look over his shoulder. Raven turned and gave Qrow a look that was begging to believe he'd grown a second head and _that_ _thing _had been the reason those words had touched her ears.

"This is it? This is when you wanna pussy out? Are you fucking high Qrow?! Listen."

She leaned into him, and looked him dead in the eyes. Crimson on Crimson. "We _kill._ We get _food_ and _supplies_, and _live._ Not exactly hard science here brother. But, let's fucking face it you've always sucked at actually thinking things through now haven't you? One brain cell left to rub up against nothing speaks for itself."

A tooth breaking from a boy gritting his teeth _that hard _could be heard from one angry red-eyed bandit boy. Estimates for the conditions of all living things in the surrounding area at noon.

"No, I fucking get that but Raven? You gotta understand. That feeling we had when we buried mom? Is that what everyone feels like when they lose their mother? Dads too? I don't want to make others feel that. Fuck, I've been thinking about it all the damn time in the tent, It's been eating at me Rav! I know I can still tear a fuckers head off if I need to but like, fuck, am I gonna be able to sleep at night? I hear them now Raven. Those same goddamn screams from all the times we put down suckers across Anima, I hear them and I think back to the funeral and moms words and-and If everyone we've been attacking has been feeling like this? How the hell am I just supposed to walk away from it?! Besides, mom wanted to take back the old Branwen home! Not make a permanent bandit camp anyway. How are we gonna-"

"CLAP!"

A very loud smack could be heard all throughout the clearing around the road. The red mark on Qrows face a testament to it's passion.

"Qrow, listen to me very carefully. There is only one rule I know, and that is if mom had been strong enough? If dad or any of us had been strong enough to block the blow? She would still be here. But she's not, and-"

"Did you just call mom weak?"

In very soft, very low and sub-zero tone, Qrow asked his sister a question. Her eyes were hard, and Qrow realized she'd had something she'd been stirring with to. But to his utter dismay, she nodded.

"Yes! In terms of heart, in terms of love there was no one better and there won't ever be BUT THAT DIDN'T SAVE HER DID IT?"

Raven screamed out the end and jammed a finger into her brothers chest. He was surprised she didn't poke a hole into him.

"The same reason that was able to happen, is the same reason we live by. The strong live, and the weak? The weak die Qrow. They die, and we enforce and live by that rule."

Merkava was slouched in his seat, but neither the sister nor the brother noticed.

"We're bandits, that means we are the strong and everyone else? They're the weak. They're prey. How many men have we killed? Women? We've never held back and we've always come out on top because of what we are. If you go down that path, of holding back and running away from every fight because you don't want to hurt someone's feelings? You don't want them to face the fact that the life they've chosen laid their heads on a chopping block the second they accepted it? You'll be weak Qrow, and I? I will not allow that."

Raven's eye's were hard, but glistening with unshed tears as she gripped him by the collar with rage and desperation singing within their new host loud and unrestrained. Qrow was honestly taken aback, and suddenly, he realized there might've been something to what his mother had said about his sister.

"You hear me? You don't get to leave me by wimping out-"

"RAGRAH!"

To bad he'd never get to see it fully unfold.

An Ursa jumped from the foliage on the left side of the buggy, ready to crash into it and kill its occupants. All three could only curse at missing such a Grimm, and at putting out this much negativity on top of it all in the first place. Qrow lunged and tried to shield his sister, but luckily for him, equally loud as the monsters roar was the bang from the rifle that not only shot it's head off, but threw its body sideways mid air like a rag doll to land harmlessly behind the buggy.

All three occupants froze, and after a moment, slowly turned their heads left, to see who'd shot it.

They were blessed to see an incredibly beautiful woman.

Her hair was stark white but ended in gold tips and her eyes were a soft but bright orange. She wore a peculiar but mostly viable armor, a silver pauldron covering the front and back of her neck as well as her shoulders, folded slim plate armor over her arms with gauntlets that Qrow could tell were mecha-shift. He'd seen enough of Jackai's work. Her dress was actually near a black version of Qrow's Qipao, but given her voluptuous body, obviously made for a woman and a warrior. The stomach and lower body were armored as well, leading into a trailing, ripped at the edges coattail that reached the ground and covered both her greaved legs. She was also wearing a Cowboy hat.

She gave the children a warm smile as she as the rifle she wielded mecha-shifted back into the form of a large mistralian Jian blade she sheathed at her side. Qrow noted the two wicked daggers _also _at her side and the poleaxe on her back, and he gulped. This was a huntsman, and if she had _4_ Mecha-shift weapons instead of the one? To Qrow, that showed skill beyond the norm.

Skill at the norm was enough to wipe their entire tribe from the map.

Raven slowly exited the Vehicle. Merkava and Qrow both got out of the Buggy at the same pace and bowed their heads to the Huntress, kneeling on the ground in case this was one of those…'affected' by the war. Or the eccentric types. "Thank you a thousand times over esteemed huntress, we will cherish-"

"AHAHAHA!Oh dear gods that's priceless..."

The huntress laughed as Raven had just began her only half bullshit speech, and they all raised their heads but the huntress raised her left hand to keep them quiet. Qrow enjoyed her laughter, and as it went on he thought he might be joining his mother sooner than he planned, by a lot, but this woman still didn't know-

"Why would I believe the spiel of a bandit on saving a life? Not that I don't think you're grateful, but all of that flowery speech is grating even when you don't know the facts. When you do know the facts honey? That's painful. For me it's enough if you and your brother just take my little birthday gift, okay?"

Okay then. In his head, Qrow was already calling his mom to set up his new room in the afterlife. He took a deep breath, gripped his cross in his hand, and prayed before he would speak again, looking at the woman without a smile but not anything more than anxious. She'd made it plain as day bullshit wasn't welcome, and he wasn't about to see how much it took for funny to go to pissed.

His dad had imparted the sacred knowledge of when to fold when in the presence of beautiful women. He would not do the Branwen family name wrong this day. He might die but he wouldn't do that.

"What exactly do you mean by 'gift?' Who are you lady?" Merkava calmly asked, shooting Qrow's determination in the head like so. He was giving the woman a harsh glare, taping his boots while Qrow and Raven just stared at the man.

The huntress only shook her head at the sight, with a light smile on her face. "Don't get scared now, I did save you guys for a reason and we can't be attracting any more Grimm can we? Luckily, save for that Ursa, I can feel this place is pretty much barren of the pitch black bastards. My name is Jomcara Peveralios by the way, and it's nice to meet you Raven, Qrow, and Merkava." They froze, how did this bitch know their names?! In Qrow's mind that meant there was a way out! There was a difference between banditry and stalking. He could negotiate! He opened his mouth-

Jomcara grimaced at the sight, and snapped before anyone could plead. "Okay enough with thinking I'm going to kill you or do something bad to you, I can literally feel your anxiety you know? That's annoying."

Merkava blinked rapidly. This was not comforting information. "How exactly can you do that?"

Jomcara gave a lively smile at the question "Oh it's a hunters skill, part of a branch of study called Aura sensing- ah, but if we get into the details of unique techniques I'll be here all day. Listen, as you might have guessed by now I have something for all of you. But, before we begin that, I'd like to say that I'm sorry for your mother's death."

The huntress said it in such a loose manner Qrow immediately wanted to call her a fucking liar, and curse at her for bringing back up all of the pain. He didn't really forget it, but this whole mess had definitely taken priority. Yet, something told him she was telling the truth, crazy as that was. Like a whisper in the pit of his gut that told him she really meant it, and that honestly took him a bit aback.

His mom knew a huntress? Was friends with a fucking huntress?!

"When we heard about someone with the name Branwen in Anima, my associates and I, who I'll not be telling you about quite yet, immediately tried to find out more and contact her."

Ah. Stalker then.

"But by the time we found her it was way too late. We only found out about your mother because a lot of people were celebrating the head of an infamous bandit tribe was injured badly in rather large fight near a battlefield. Marked dead by anyone who saw her being taken to a hospital in Novitar. But after that we were able to track her descendants down easily. Oh and Merkava, I'm not going to do anything to you. Just going to give your friends some gifts."

Qrow and Raven immediately tensed and placed their hands on their respective weapons, a bandit never leaves their weapons behind, but concealed? Qrow reached into a hidden cut in his shirt behind his sash and pulled out the cleaver stuck to his leg. Raven's blade was guardless and short, the sheath strapped to her bare back but the handle concealed by her hair. She reached behind her mane and pulled it out. Merkava flicked his hands grabbed his knives as they flew out of his sleeves.

Jomcara smiled.

In the blink of an eye Qrow was on his back, and everything was pain. Pain was his new lord, his master, his God and way. He understood this law, and his body was extremely well educated in the matter because that was all he could, and would, ever feel again. All was pain now. He _understood _this.

His cleaver was stuck in a tree about 8 meters away. He assumed the others were similarly dismantled both physically and literally, the groans of both his sister and friend proving him right.

"How…?" was all that came out, he literally felt as though he'd teleported from standing to laying on the ground, basking in the absolute power of the only thing that existed in the world; infinite physical and spiritual _agony_.

The smiling face of the beautiful god of insanity appearing over him only made him more sure of that. Sadly, his silent prayers for mercy seemed to fall on sadistic ears as she pulled out two syringes, but maybe there was hope! At the pleading look of a dead man walking on Qrow's face, Jomcara blinked and made an 'O' face.

"Sorry, nearly got ahead of myself there! First things first…." She took their arms and arranged all three of their hands to be on top of one another, then placed her hand over Qrow's which was at the top of the pile. "Through shadow there is light, that which holds its own shadow in turn, so thus endlessly intertwined these forces pull at us, and make us face realities beyond the scope of our design. Together, we shall stand and find the answer beyond ourselves, to limits unknown. So I pull at thee to walk ahead with me, and thereby enlighten thou."

A primal, pure and warm power surged within all three of the kids. The light of their souls, their aura had been awoken. The respite the feeling gave from their current state of misery was a level of bliss that made Qrow personally wonder how he'd only ever thought the greatest pleasure in life was a good mourning blowjob.

How had he ever been so lead astray?

With a bright smile Jomcara took out the two syringes again, and Raven, Merkava and Qrow were suddenly finding it hard to enjoy their newfound power/ecstasy/spiritual (probably) orgasm. Jomcara was avoiding looking at Merkava's pants and everyone kinda got the hint but ignored it.

"Congratulations! Today's the first day on your trip to truly finding yourselves! It'll be painful journey, but it'll be worth it, trust me. Now here's your second birthday gift…" The syringes contained a glowing blue syrupy looking substance with pulsing small black chunks in it. Qrow immediately sent his body into panic mode, praying for the Grimm to save him from the huntress before him, or at least make his end less painful. Before they even realized what was happening Jomcara inserted the syringes into both Raven and Qrow's necks, and emptied them out.

The feeling of some secondary force entering his body completely encapsulated Qrow. All before a raw, searing pain that reminded him of the one true faith he'd just blasphemy'd against came at him so intensely, it was like transcending into a whole new world of:

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

This great form of enlightenment was the last thing he knew before going unconscious.

The last thing he heard though?

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday Qrow and Raven, Happy birthday to you! Welcome the warmasters program…"

* * *

**Happy Happy Birthday! Aren't B-days' the best? They're like completely new transformations one after the other, all to celebrate the awesomeness, that is you.**


	3. Warmaster's beginnings part 1

**Okay, third chapter and we're ready to move out! The next one should be coming up shortly, so no need to worry over that. Actually since I'll hopefully be getting some reviews this time around, what different types of dust do you guys think about when they're brought up in stories, if you ever do? Or if you don't. what different kinds of dust do you think are out there in remnant? I'll be going over that idea myself later on in the story.**

* * *

**Warmaster's ****Beginnings**

Legend has it that late in the evening, a young man with eyes of pure red gets kicked in the stomach every time a crazy bitch goes on a drug run. Only on the 5th time, does he stir awake and release the greatest danger known to Remnant into the world:

A whiny teenager.

"Mother..fucker...if you kick me with that gods-damned boot one more fucking time, you lose both feet. And your eyes! Fuck it I think I'll take your tongue too!"

Qrow yelled as he groaned awake. It took every last drop of his energy just to manage to stand on his own two feet. He was sweating buckets like a broken faucet but the kid eventually got to the point where he was able to look his friend in the eyes. Look at him with two ruby red points of unadulterated loathing that were begging for a certain faunus to get his. Said faunus' purple gazers were alight with joy as Merkava scooped Qrow up in a hug.

Qrow was completely off guard and way too weak to so much as protest, but he honestly didn't want to. He weakly put his arms around Merkava's back.

"Damn it man, don't leave me like that! You know what you fainting on some doped up super drug or whatever that bitch jacked you two up with gets me? It gets me hugging sweating idiots for leaving me hanging in the middle of bumfuck nowhere! Gods fucking dammit this whole month has been nothing but some kind of screwed the hell up nightmare."

On that, the young man couldn't help but agree.

_"The Baker, my mom, now this? Some kind of shit's happening to me and Rav, and like hell I'm going to let me and my family be the butt of some damn joke. On that, I ain't got shit to think twice about."_

Qrow gave Merkava a light clutch and quickly separated afterwards, a bit woozy from the attempt. He soon locked his eyes on Ravens prone form. Qrow slowly turned his head back to Merkava with a questioning expression, the kind that wondered if the person standing before you had any wish to still live. Qrow approached his next words with all the seriousness of a police officer asking if the man before him had committed a crime worthy of the death penalty, and if it was worth it.

"Did you…?"

"Do I look suicidal?"

Merkava shut him down instantly with a grade-A 'I can still find some reason to wanna breath' look.

"The only reason I didn't pack you two into the buggy and drive for Soichiro myself is because A) I don't wanna be walking around that crapshoot with two unconscious bodies, no matter what Jackai would say cause' the Branwen tribe can't afford to look weak in that den after what's happened. And B) We both know the tribe damn well needs those supplies and we'd just be burning time getting back home."

Not the best logic, Qrow thought. But it was what he had. He laboriously walked over to the stolen vehicle.

"Merkava, start the buggy. We're still going to Soichiro" Raven's voice called out. She stood up much quicker than Qrow did and walked with more purpose, which was fair. She was probably conserving her strength after she woke up and just didn't tell them so she didn't look like as much of a fool as he did. Ravenology 101: weakness is the enemy, even showing it.

But he didn't comment on the fact she was still sweating buckets the same as him, and still shaky from whatever Jomcara gave them.

Merkava gave her a weird look. The boy nearly opened his mouth but just rolled his eyes as she stared at/ordered him and he got in the front. Qrow and Raven both leaned against one another as they got in the back of the buggy and Merkava started the engine. All three of them let a little time pass as the sun set, just thinking through what had happened. Eventually Merkava spoke up right as night was coming on hard:

"Oh, that lady gave me these knives too, said it was some kind of 'consolation prize' from whatever your two got saddled with plus payment for 'a good show' like some kind of crazy guy tipping a stripper extra. By the way, what was that thing she gave you two anyway?"

Merkava showed them two gleaming near black colored, long swordbreaker knives. Both thick and graceful, and near the length of being two short swords. He was holding the handles in between the knuckles of his right hand as he drove. His words were unhurried, but there was a clear fear when Merkava spoke and Raven could see his hands shaking on the wheel the slightest bit. She opened her mouth to reprimand him, but found nothing to say. After everything that had happened, after all of the shit they'd wadded through in the last couple of days, even she was just tired. So she closed her eyes in near slumber next to her brother, not wanting to think on the days issues until they made it to their destination.

She longed to put on her mask, she'd gotten a bit used to the feeling it gave her, taking away the pain if even by the slimmest of margins and making her feel stronger. Like when she wore it, she could pretend to be less of her weak self...but she couldn't break her promise with her brother, at least while she was laying next to him.

Merkava eventually accepted their silence and tried using the hum of the engine to calm himself, but he still worried about what had happened to his friends. How in the fuck was anyone supposed to just calm down and accept some crazy bimbo laying you flat on your ass and sticking some stupidly shifty gunk into your veins? What in the hell was the Warmasters program? Sure didn't sound nice.

He was already tasting the backlash of one war. He didn't want to get into another one and dive face first into the hellfire this time.

* * *

Eventually Raven woke up just about when they were outside of to Soichiro village. A bit of a ragtag place, it was known as the dwelling of a clan of the same name. A bunch who today were known for being quite able arms dealers making quite the buck selling to anyone who could pay. Not a moment went by someone wasn't making a back deal in Soichiro, and more often than not the clan was making a quick buck off of that somehow. They even personally housed rooms where people could maintain their secrecy whilst making said gentlemanly, well-intentioned business deals. It was also, surprisingly, called 'the clean city'.

A joke you only got if you stayed in the place for more than five minutes. But not completely wrong.

Didn't matter what you brought into Soichiro, you would not be finishing it inside. The clan would not allow the underworld of Mistral or the darker side of the outlands to conduct it's harsher 'arrangements' within it's walls. This was why a certain group of three kids were so eager to go there and so worried at the same time. Lot to gain, but a lot to lose if they let the fuckers here smell blood in the water.

With Qrow and Ravens bodies now restored to a barely more manageable state, they were able to enter the front gates with false ease supplemented by Merkava actually seeming better than normal. Qrow guessed he'd replaced his usual knives with the huntresses and was feeling like he was hot. Raven must've thought the same cause she rolled her eyes up just the slightest bit at his swagger.

The guards recognized all three, and within a few minutes they were walking through the not so nice town with gangsters and much worse bunched up. People were eyeing them and talking. Asshats in rags with weapons plain for all to see. Squirrely looking little kids running through the streets, dirty and hungry with eyes blazing like lightning trying to get a handle on the latest news. A pair tried to 'bump into' the group but not even Merkava would fall for that in ten years. The faunus rightly grabbed the hand of the kid who tried to see what he was hiding under his poncho and pushed him away. Grabbing his friend by the head and lightly tossing her at him. He just gave a lazy eye to them like 'really?'

They bolted.

Soon enough, a nervous Qrow and equally nervous Raven Branwen, first of her kind, met the brown haired and blue-eyed gaze of a rather well built if slim man. One wearing a white robe and a black blacksmiths apron with a pair of goggles around his neck, right in the middle of the street. With a bright smile Jackai Soichiro greeted his guests in person, two large figures in black cloaks with guns at the ready at his sides, because of course.

Jackai opened his arms and seemed to brighten up the night just by being there. "Well if it isn't three of my favorite customers! Before we get into business, Listen." he suddenly frowned, walked up, and when he was just before the two kids he kneeled down and reached eye-level with them. Qrow and Raven had a good idea what this was gonna be about.

Bit hard not to when even a stalker has your digits.

"I'm sorry about Rook, she was good people and we all know that's in short supply on this dirtball. You guys need any extra support from uncle Jackai, you get it for free on top of the rest of the stuff you guys need. Point of fact, Qrow, Rav, are you guys okay? You two like something ran over you. Merkava, what happened?"

Merkava moved to open his mouth but Qrow jabbed him the stomach with his elbow, nodding his head in a 'no' fashion before turning back to Jackai. Merkava was surprised but still stayed silent, and Jackai only raised his eyebrows, but still said nothing. Anyone could see the interest in his eyes, but you didn't run a local black market hub in the middle of a damn war as an arms dealer of all fucking things without learning how to shut your mouth at the right time.

"No, uncle Soichiro, but they never really are. We got hit with a couple bad Grimm attacks when mom died, and our last raid wasn't too good, so we need some supplies."

Qrow dropped the bag he'd brought from the buggy at Jackai's feet. The man opened it and his eyes widened considerably. He whistled out loud as he handed it to one of his men.

"Man, you guys must have gotten torn right the fuck open. Alright, things are looking pretty smooth nowadays so you guys can shack up in Annabelle's for free as usual-"

"Dad, you don't have to do this." came a soft, kind voice from deeper in the town. It made Qrow stiffen up, and Raven?

Raven glared, pissed.

Everyone turned to see a girl with brown hair done in a long braid and green eyes approach in a smaller version of Jackai's outfit with a red shirt instead of white. Qrow sighed and Merkava grit his teeth at the sight of her, but Jackai just grinned. "Why ever not sweetie? The Branwen tribe are good customers, and always loyal. Plus they're old friends! What's not to like?"

"Didn't you just get that deal with Mistral for advanced dust-arms? I got why we needed these guys in the past, and yeah they're good people but we don't have the manpower if we're gonna accept mistral's deal just to outfit an entire bandit tribe, and point of fact? They're _bandits_! Qrow, Raven, I love you guys but we're not in a good place right now to do business. Not with you guys, and not with an animal Merkava. Dad, we can go clean and-"

Soichiro held his fist in front of his face and raised a finger to his daughter "ah, honey, please don't-"

Her face flushed red and Aundre glared like she was staring down death.

"Dad! How long can we keep doing this? The men in the forges need a break soon, and all of the other suppliers we'd work with have been taken up by the armies! We're in a competition we can't lose. If we were behind the walls of the kingdom maybe this wouldn't be so bad, but we're a sitting duck out here. Unless we bank on Mistral's defenses and move, do you think no one's gonna try for us if they think they can get away with it? Do you remember Grenadine? The kingdom won't protect anyone they don't need because they can't afford to, and everyone knows it. Ever since Lagune fucked up last year every faunus under a rock has been rallying to the warfront, and with their hunters? Our only shot is going behind a solid line of defense in mistral proper."

Jackai seemed to consider that for a moment, really let himself drink in every word his daughter had just said, before he burst out laughing. Laughing loud and happily at his daughters concerns. He was clutching his gut and on his knees for what seemed like more than thirty minutes to everyone around him from how...awkward, it got. Aundre's face got even redder and Raven let out a happy smirk at her displeasure, but didn't say a thing. Eventually he got himself together and lightly bowed to the Branwen tribe representatives. Aundre Soichiro clenched her fists.

"Kids, my apologies for my daughters little display, you and me? We're good, but as she said I do have some new things in stock you might like. Come on down to the forge, if there's anything I've built in recent you'd like, it's all up for free on top of your regular supplies, same goes for my babies I'm churning out to Mistral! I can always just make new ones. Hell, how about a discount? I'll still take all the dough but I'll cut down the prices of the goods in the future so the money carries into future deals. Not bad right?"

Jackai happily took the money, and the group of young criminals walked off, making sure to be wary as they moved through the town and Aundre stormed away. Jackai ran a tight ship but there were worse things than death and violence that could go on behind closed doors, and paranoia was the blood of the people outside the walls more days than not.

The streets were getting cleaner as it reached a time when even the lowest scum needed to sleep, and they eventually they made it to a hotel with the words _'A gentler time'_ in bold on top of the entrance. They opened the door to a bright greeting.

"Oh, its you darlings! Come in for a new piece of gear? Want something warm to eat?" Said Annabelle, a slightly portly old woman with a bright smile and one eye. Qrow shook his head. Annabelle was always a good time, practically the older sister he'd always needed but that got replaced with Raven in some kind of bad deal, but this was not the time. Sleep was calling him to bed and that was one booty call nothing could keep him from answering.

"Naw, we might get something eventually but, well, Annabelle we're kinda out of it, can we just head to our rooms?" The woman frowned, nearly opening her mouth to say something against that. But, as she took in the appearance of the group, she satisfied herself with simply nodding and letting them be.

That lead to the kids sitting in a cozy room with 3 fine beds, which they each sat on after they checked the room for bugs out of habit. They trusted Jackai, but the man always put his village first, and if he could get anything off of them and sell it for protection or more arms? He'd get it. He'd only do it if it was dire, but they had no idea what the current situation really was or how far it ran, and Malruk had drilled into them to be wary when things were uncertain more than ever. More importantly, the man protected them from a lot on his home turf, but no one could save anyone from the stupidity of others fully.

One of Rook's lessons.

They nearly began to talk when the door to their room was knocked on, and a young man about 16 years old in a suit with a top hat, wordlessly brought in a trolley with plates of warm snacks and food on it.

Merkava sighed, "Junior, we don't-"

"You wanna tell that to the miss?"

Nobody had anything to say to that, Annabelle was one of the only people outside of the tribe who was still considered family. Nobody refused her under her roof. Not even Jackai. As Junior left with a smirk on his face they all began to dig into the food silently, but with a clear ardor. Food was sacred to a bandit at all times, the holy substance, but right now it made them all feel like there was still something worth it all. Even if just for the moment, it made them feel love. Something worth more than any blessing.

It also made them all feel just a bit more lethargic. The day had been very long.

When the food was done, at first none of them talked. But Raven eventually turned to look at her brother once she felt enough silence had passed. "Do you guys have any idea what happened? What was that Warmasters program the woman talked about?"

She knew the answer she'd get, but someone needed to say _something._

Merkava grunted and decided to speak up. "let's look at what's changed so far, you guys feel okay?"

Qrow groaned and placed a hand on his face "Yeah, no? It feels weird, that light thing that she made come out of us with that hunter spell or whatever? It's making me feel really..special? At first when she unleashed it, I think because of the pain from that ass-whooping the relief it gave felt like a shot of nirvana, but now it's like a low hum in my body that I have to focus on to feel. At the same time though I feel like there's something else. Like outside of that weird power in my bones, there's this strange other _thing_? Like that serum or drug she put in me-"

"Makes you feel like there's something else? Like someone is right next to you?" Raven interrupted.

Qrow snapped his fingers at the explanation. "That's exactly it! That shit she gave us, you think it-*Ahh*-was some kind of weird, Atlas tracker thing?" Qrow yawned again after he was done and stretched, and Raven's eyes got heavy just looking at him. Honestly, all three of them were a bit tired. They'd been fucked hard today and the whole damn month. Merkava had taken the scenic route to get to Soichiro as quickly as he could, and even he was a bit out of it from trying to drive fast but controlled enough to avoid Grimm, on top of the fact he'd been conscious the entire time where they at least blacked out.

In the end the fish man himself shrugged, if Qrow was this tired, Raven wasn't far behind and they wouldn't find anything out like this, so he said as much: "we need to figure out what that lady wants from you two, but we're all to worn to the nub. Let's handle this when our minds are working at full capacity eh? We won't get any good work done while we're this tired."

Raven seemed like she wanted to protest, but nodded, and Qrow even put a hand on her shoulder. She lazily managed to raise an eyebrow at her brother.

He smirked, she was always the fighter.

"We're gonna get through this Rav. We're gonna find the bastards that messed with us, find the jackoff's that iced mom, and we'll show them all what happens when you screw with the Branwen tribe."

The lady just shrugged his arm off and turned away. "If the only thing you can do is spout out the obvious, then you're useless. Merkava, look's like we'll have to hold back for this clowns sake again. We'll talk in the mourning."

Everyone agreed, and fell into their beds with a light 'thump' each, Merkava was smirking at the two before he fell asleep. Qrow just blacked the fuck out.

Raven clutched her pillow to her face, two rivers of tears falling from a smiling face.

* * *

**Hm, hm, hmmmmm a little bit of down time, a little bit of waiting before the storm hits.**


	4. Warmaster's beginnings part 2

**Chapter 4. Time for a little bit of exposition...hope you guys have your Fantasy hard hard on. This is gonna be fun.**

* * *

Raven sat up, and immediately noted that everything in the world seemed a little wrong. Like the entire planet's surface got wiped out in a giant meter strike and she woke up alone in the only functioning bunker but didn't know it yet. She felt strange basically. She felt good and satisfied, very much so in fact, and it rang alarms bells in her head she found it hard to listen to.

She was laying in an elaborate, huge, and rich satin bed made for a princess in what she quickly noted was some kind of princesses bedroom. Her bed was on a slightly higher platform, as if what it held and what it did was above all else even in a place dedicated to royalty.

She wouldn't protest the truth. When you had something like her with you, you knew you were golden. The room itself was extremely well decorated with art pieces made of gold, platinum, and embedded with jewels. Banner's with a bunch of patterns making out the shape of a raven, and said shape glowing in an outline of white fire on every banner, hung from the walls as well. A nice hearth fire was in the back of the room as well, giving it a glowing, kind and warm atmosphere. There were tables made of finely cut wood laced with metal, and by her bed a recorder was playing some rustic music. It was like something out of fairy tale, and it made Raven suspicious, but it also made her...giddy?

What in the name of all that is good and ripe for stealing was going on?

"Did you sleep well mother?"

Raven hopped out of the strange bed and snapped her head to see a small girl sitting in a chair by the right wall of the room, right next to a circular window that looked out into...an empty white void.

Okay. It would appear that whatever drug she'd been hit with had given her a permanent case of insanity. That was fine. It wouldn't mean she would be any less of a warrior. She could manage crazy fighting.

The girl was far less disturbing and thus Raven tried her best to focus on her. She did not need more insanity right now. Pale skin, red eyes, very dark purple long hair (as the brothers intended) and looked to be about 11 or 10 by Ravens mark. Dressed in a frilly red, blue and gold outfit that looked like it was made for an actual princess. Her smile was what confirmed the age for Raven, innocence practically oozed from that look. This was not a girl exposed to the worlds true face, it was too much like the village girls she'd met when the tribe sneaked into a small town to actually buy things when raiding wasn't worth it or they needed something explicit.

A kid. A kid, in a dress.

What was she wearing right now?

Raven looked down and realized she was wearing a white and green gown, with old mistralian knots patterned onto it, alongside frills. She took that in, and silently promised to never allow Qrow or Merkava to see her memories, or into this room if she wasn't hallucinating, because if they somehow ever did see her like this?

Well, they could both beg till their throats were hoarse...but she would never listen. And never stop.

"Where am I? Why did you call me your mother?" Raven was surprised at her soft tone, and the fact she wasn't screaming at this point. Normally, several things would be broken by now, but as she focused she found that she couldn't seem to find any reason to be overly cautious. As if her ability to overreact had been...suppressed. That should've made her panic, but the best she could do was feel mildly offended.

With a scowl towards the girl, Raven received a clap and a smile in return. This was going to be a problem.

"I called you my mother because you are my mother. As for where we are? We're currently speaking inside your dream. Also, yes, I have reduced your ability to panic and feel irritation for the moment so we can speak seriously and with no delay, as per protocol. My name is Malaise-al-meahblu, welcome to the Warmasters program."

Raven simply stared at the little girl for a long moment, but found her arguments for why this was happening falling dead on her tongue. Somehow, she simply found herself trusting the tyke in front of her completely. No fear to be had at all. Not a drop. She knew that should scare her a bit, yet...it simply didn't.

Couldn't. The girl actually had fucked with her emotions. Somehow.

With a sigh she gave up on trying to feel angry, it wouldn't happen. More than anything else, she needed to know what the Warmasters program was. She could focus on that at least.

"What are you talking about?" The child beamed.

"The war masters program is a rouge Anthropological and Aura-based scientific operation by one Dr. Lanam. An Atlesian scientist who wishes to discover the true depths of aura, the history of the world's most famous bloodlines, amongst other factors including research into the arcane. You, mother, have been chosen as one of the participants due to your bloodline as a descendant of the great Branwen, and your potential in being such."

Ravens gave the girl a confused look, and the child sighed. She really wished she could feel pissed about that. But the name Branwen brought back some hard memories, and she wanted answers. "Okay...but why do I need you? Also, who is this Lanam guy? What's Anthropological mean? What's Aura? And what's Atlas got to do with anything? They on some kind of deal with the tribes in upper Anima again? "

The girl blinked. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, but ultimately clapped her hands and planted that smile back on her face. Raven was happy to note she could still feel satisfaction from fucking with people even the slightest bit. Some things were necessary to life.

"Ah! Alright, it would appear that you require a deeper background in some things. That's perfect, as that is one of my main responsibilities! Dr. Lanam is a brilliant scientist. You see he was part of a division of the Atlas military responsible for studying aura in order to set up for future projects, but Dr Lanam took a less conventional method to his studies and made incredible findings in his work! Progress made in discovering the infinite potential in the human soul. However his results were, he felt, going to be wasted working under Atlas."

Malaise had a slight frown on her face as she spoke "They had some worthwhile ideas, but they were never going to allow the true potential of humanity to blossom in his opinion. The direction he felt it was necessary for mankind to move through to excel was needed in the moment, and the processes that Atlas was and are going through at the moment would take far to long and go through far too many branches before they made any headway on that end. Ergo, he felt it necessary to create us! A race of individuals called Phantom hearts, which I am a part of, to be born as the children of unique individuals who would have the potential to accomplish his goals."

Raven narrowed her eyes, and slowly walked up to the girl. She picked the child up by her armpits, threw the kid onto her bed. Malaise gave a loud "wheeeee!" at that, and Raven laid down sat down next to her. Her suspicions had been suppressed, not eliminated. Plus not a lot of that made much sense to her.

"So to sum it up, some crazy Atlesian jackoff in a lab felt everyone around him were twiddling their fingers while he was built to own the town, and he wants us doing his dirty work. Dirty work which includes you, who claims to be my daughter. The fruit of my loins who came from a test tube if I'm guessing correctly, maybe. Okay what do I get for the job? Also, when you say born…"

Malaise beamed at Raven and quickly crawled across the bed, giving her a light hug. To which she pushed the child off. Malaise just giggled.

"You are not exactly doing a hired job mother. The purpose is for you to simply explore the innermost depths of your potential as a human being, becoming the strongest you can be, and affecting the world around you as much as possible while doing so. About me being your daughter? Well, Dr Lanam wished to give the best possible aid, and gain results on possible experiments of his. The serum both you and your brother gained was quite literally possessed with what could best be described, though not quite be accurate to, are called poltergeists or ghosts."

Raven blinked. "Are you telling me that a quack doctor got me high on a drug that got me possessed by a ghost, that proceeded to knock me up? Is that also a sentence I actually just said?"

Malaise just gave Raven a smile. Like she was some kind of slow kid in the back of the classroom for not 'getting' advanced paranormal terminology and mystical scientific processes that apparently had been developed just in the last decade by an underground convict doctor if the word 'rogue' was any indication.

On one hand, it would have pissed her off if she could feel that way right now. On the other, she felt pride. Even if Malaise wasn't anything she could conceptualize as her own in the slightest, a Branwen bitch in any context getting hers in was always something to be proud of.

"Not quite. The exact creatures in that serum were similar to magical creatures that tend to appear upon the time of death for an individual. Speaking on them, very rarely are they actually the left behind soul of the person who has passed on. More often than not they are simply memories and traces. However! Dr Lanam created artificial, subtly warped versions of some of said creatures using advanced aura techniques and magical ceremonies he discovered, in order to implant them in the serum you received so that the incomplete psuedo-spirit could resonate with your soul, resulting in a child of sorts, me!"

Raven stood still as a statue, digested what she was hearing, and then shook her head. "Nope" was all she said. Malaise gave an open, confused, sad childlike look at that.

_"Ignore the voice telling you to cuddle, resist it! BE STRONG!"_ Raven shook her head at her inane thoughts, but still focused. Even if it was annoying to listen to, she was getting answers.

"So, to get it straight, rather than a spirit knock me up, I got hit with the magical equivalent of sperm with my brother-"

_"Ignore the gag reflex, ignore the gag reflex, ignore the gag reflex! Focus on teasing Qrow about getting knocked up, his emasculation will fuel your resolve." _

"-and that resulted in you? Somehow? Um, alright then...I can take that...but I'm not calling you my kid. I am not a mother. Anyway! What's aura? Is it like that magic the huntsmen used on me?"

Malaise shook her head vehemently hearing that, and Raven quietly thanked the brother gods the girl seemed to get it. Wasn't blowing a casket. Being cool about the whole thing.

"Magic and aura are two very different things mother!"

_"Fuck."_

"You see, aura is the light of the soul. It's a unique form of power that your very soul produces that exists within each and every living creature in the world, obviously excluding the Grimm."

_"Yes, obviously, fucking brat."_

"Huntsmen use it to gain their enhanced physical powers and unique abilities, but few ever really learn to master their aura. They use it to gain monstrous strength and a super power called a semblance, but most don't learn much else other than that. Magic is very different. Magic can allow you to control nature and use all sorts of special abilities, grant all sorts of mystical gifts and more! It is the unique spiritual power of mystery itself that gives one the capacity to invoke phenomena completely outside of as well as of a higher level than normal reality. It's what dust is made from. Demonia, magic beasts, Angelo and elementals are all spirits that use magic! Now, the protocol is over, do you have any other questions mommy?"

An unbelievable amount, but after concentrating for a bit, Raven decided to limit her questions to stuff regarding huntsmen, and another one as well.

"Are you really a ghost possessing me?" Malaise smiled even wider, and Raven absolutely did not hear her own heart skip a beat. That would be impossible. "Uh huh! Technically there's no real classification for what I am, normal undead spirits are different from me, but I do have the job of making you super! The best in the world! So! Let's get started on making you the best Remnant has to offer! Here!"

Raven Branwen

Aura: rank 37

Dusk: rank 0

Strength: rank 4

Agility: rank 5

Perception: rank 3

Vigor: rank 3

Mana: rank 0

This appeared in black letters on a sheer white screen that just appeared hovering in front of Raven, like an atlas scroll but without the metal display it came out of. Malaise was not in the mood to address her mother's surprise however, and kept talking. She seemed to like that, talking.

"This is a basic rundown of your basic abilities and how they stack up so to speak. For reference, you are in the upper crust when it comes to physically conditioned humans your age but for something to better compare yourself to, applicants to the great academies usually have 25 in all of these categories if they want any hope of being accepted. The good ones have the stats in the upper 40's and the absolute best push it to the 70's and 80's."

Raven frowned hard. "When you say that..."

"I only mean the apprentice level huntsmen, those above that benchmark who qualify as actual huntsmen are much, much stronger. It should also be noted that there is a slight exponential increase rather than a linear one in regards to these numbers."

"Exponential?"

"Big numbers mean a that if you have 40 in agility, you aren't 8 times faster than someone who has a 5. You're much, much faster than that."

Raven looked at the numbers, blinked, and let out a low whistle. No wonder her father wanted to make both Qrow and Raven huntsmen. With this kind of power just a good one could wipe basically most of the tribes in lower Anima off the face of the continent. It was a grueling thought, but she still swallowed it.

_"We were never really powerful, were we? If the Grimm hadn't come, that would've been the end of the Branwen tribe, wouldn't it?"_

"Huntsmen really are monsters..."

Malaise frowned in confusion, and tugged on Raven dress. The bandit noted how small the little girl really was. Had she been that small when she was younger? She'd been filling out, and her mom had even been commenting on that...

Raven shut her eyes, and Malaise continued.

"I do not believe humans can be counted as monsters mother, they do not possess internal forms of magic, and faunus barely do as well..." trying to tune out the fact monsters existed, Raven replied as simply as she could: "not what I meant, whatever you just said. I mean that they're really, really strong." Malaise pursed her lips and tilted her head, making Raven give her a questioning look.

"Not exactly, or well, not often mother." Raven was hesitant, the tone Malaise was using put her off for some reason.

"What do you mean?"

Malaise took a breath, this was going to be another long one. "In terms of physical excellence huntsmen truly do shine, but most do not use anywhere near the full potential of their aura. This is both due to difficulty and cultural stigma, as people are taught there are limits to their capabilities and they do not search for more. Of course, the idea of such a simple factor holding all of humanity back from grasping the power within is, in a word, utterly ridiculous. Like a story where through sheer talent and desire some idiot in an academy decides to try a hairbrained attempt at aura manipulation assumed to have never even be guessed to be possible, as if that person is the first one, and automatically reaches power unbelievable! Ridiculous-"

"Excuse me, but what in the gods name are you talking about?"

Raven had quite literally understood none of that. Even Malaise blinked in confusion but quickly resumed her tirade: "I mean, mother, that although I speak of there being more power when using aura than previously understood, there is a reason most others abandoned the thought of utilizing aura beyond common convention...although given your background, I suppose common convention means nothing to you. But either way it can be summed up as thus; the power of the soul is not something an individual can by themselves fully master."

Raven had been listening, and believed she got a gist of what Malaise was saying. She didn't know if it was the calm but getting the little girls vibe was pretty easy. Though on second thought, maybe that had to do with however she was suppressing Raven's emotions. The light smile Malaise gave her at that thought raised questions she wouldn't be asking, for more than just the fact that she was done going through speech after speech. "The aura is the power of my soul right? But what your saying is that I need other people's help in order to master it?" A very enthusiastic nod was her gift.

"Exactly right! In ancient times using aura would've been far more necessary when dust was not fully understood or as well utilized. But training in it, hypothesized by Dr. Lanam, proved very difficult. This is corroborated by the usage of advanced aura techniques in this day and age as it is not common to use your aura as more than a very basic aid in combat as we have gone over, but those interested in the practice still do manage to achieve some higher power and abilities. In the past resources would've demanded more of the power of the soul, so simply saying that it wasn't thought of to better grasp the power of aura in the old days is simply ridiculous. But, that power is amazing mother. The doctor's findings confirmed as much. Enough so to the point it would demand why it wasn't enough to fend off the Grimm, and the best given answer in Dr Lanam's opinion is that the trust simply wasn't enough for most others to grasp it."

"...what?"

"To truly understand the power of the soul is something anyone can accomplish, but the process is best done through the aid of another, and extremely difficult alone. In ancient times it would make sense that because people could not give themselves to one another totally, the Grimm would prove enough of an issue to become a lethal threat."

Raven wanted to vomit, that sounded so sappy! "You're saying people couldn't give enough of a damn about one another, so they never learned how to use the power of their soul? How does that make any sense? Wouldn't the threat of death make people care more for one another? Or at least fake it to survive?"

"Humans are, from what little data I have read, fickle-minded creatures, that and this is simply a theory proposed by the good Dr. Lanam. One he has himself exclaimed as incomplete, lacking information on mankind's history that alludes as to why they seemed to be in a near constant state of division, as well as a deeper reasoning on how exactly one unlocks the full power of the soul. Also, I never said people never learned. There is evidence in legends and myths that points to certain individuals harnessing that strength, usually to be deified in some manner. But the best process the Dr has found has lead him to believe the aid of another is necessary. After all, the soul may the highest exclamation of a person, but the Doctor's notes say that nobody is who they are without the people around them."

Thinking on the events in the last few days...Raven stayed very, very silent. That was not a topic she wanted to broach at the moment. Luckily, Malaise was fine to continue talking and staying oblivious to Raven's current state of mind. Or faking it.

Evidence right there for why people could get along swimmingly.

"In any case, through the application of dust, the Grimm have more or less become an eventual non-issue for humanity. You may be isolated to less than 10% of the planet right now, but the fact events like the great war and the current faunus rights revolution can even happen at all points to the fact that if humanity were to ever band together, fully harnessing dusts use, the Grimm would have true reason to fear. Ergo what was once a somewhat understood reason for why few could handle the strength of the human soul, became forgotten as there was little reason for people to remember that particular weapon in their arsenal. But as a Warmaster, you will remind the world of its potential."

Raven nodded, she liked the sound of that, the idea of making her the monster, making _her_ strong. Making sure certain things would never happen again. She crawled over the bed to cuddle by Malaise with a very hungry look on her face, and the child actually quivered a bit at the raw _need _in her mother's eyes. Desperate to hear more.

The child was more than willing to answer.

"Mother, let me begin by saying, it will be a very difficult and arduous path. Magic, monsters and much worse in humanity will be your opponent. Do you believe yourself up to the task?" Raven glared, and despite literally only knowing her for a couple of hours at best, Malaise knew that was answer enough. Raven wasn't that complicated. Malaise hopped onto her feet to meet her mother's eyes with a grin on her face.

"Perfect! In that case, we'll start with training how to mold your aura in the first place. Right now you're asleep but, talking to me, you are something approaching conscious, and that's more than enough to grasp your aura. Simply think about it and begin to feel it."

Raven braced as she didn't want to do what she knew she needed to, but some things had to happen. "What do you mean?" she ground out.

The child frowned. "While it's a very, very poor description for now, think of it like your dog, just call it and it's there."

Like Qrow when she's pissed, then. She simply called and the aura knew not to run, for it would be pointless and painful to do so.

She was actually able to feel her aura quite quickly calling it like that. The feeling of it, of a raw and strong, primal feeling of right, of power? It made Raven feel good. It made everything feel good.

Malaise was pleased as well. "Good, you've gotten a handle on the power. Now simply practice moving and feeling it, then try to shape it into an orb when it feels like you have enough of a grasp on it. A word of caution, that will not be today or for a long while."

Raven got right on task with that, feeling and trying to move the power of her soul more and more, like a river of fire burning through her limbs she was trying to have flow as fast and in the direction she wanted. As enough hours passed, a strange sensation came over her as she practiced. Like, if her aura was a pond, droplets were falling into it as she trained. She said as much to Malaise, who was now for some reason swinging from the chandelier in the middle of the room.

"The more you train with aura, the more of it you gain. You wouldn't normally be able to actually feel it growing at all without years of training, but your existence is much looser here than in the material world, so understanding something like that is much easier. I should also remind you to make sure you remain as physically fit as possible and eat the healthiest meals you can to supplement that as well Mother. You can train aura all you want but to use it properly, requires both a capable body and mind. You can check you status page simply by thinking about it to see how much it increases over time."

Raven tuned out her not-daughter, and did as she was told. Everything was as she said, and her aura count had gone up from 37 to 38 when she checked her status. "Will my aura continue to grow like this?" would she become some kind of super-huntress eventually?

Malaise shook her head 'no'.

"Training to harness it in a dream like state when you are closer to the spiritual world will increase it far faster alongside conventional methods than, well, those exact conventional methods. But as I said before, entrants to the academies have far higher than what you have if they do enough to go above the bottom line, and huntsmen themselves go far and away above that. Your aura reserves are actually at a quite common level mother. Most huntsmen and huntress don't grow their aura actively unless it's at a particularly low level. The amount of aura you have doesn't affect how much your other statics can grow with training at all, so most hunters focus on sharpening their skills rather than actively increasing their aura once they feel they have enough of it. In fact, because the amount of aura someone unlocks at their awakening is random, if the person unlocks enough of it to meet base standards or have an amount above the norm, they normally focus on harnessing their skills to the complete exclusion of all else. Until they die, never again trying to increase that which they possess. Not unwise as it takes time and dedication to so much as be useful in combat with aura, but that is not the path you will be going down, even if the alternative was more difficult."

Raven nodded. She understood where other hunters were coming from, but she wouldn't stop increasing the amount of power she had just to focus on the basics. Looking closer at the screen, she saw two things that made her stop practicing out of curiosity. She wanted to ask more about dusk and mana, but just asked for a brief overview of the stats and what they meant.

"Aura is the light of the soul and it's exact properties will make themselves apparent soon enough. Dusk is something...you'll have to learn at another time. It's an entire subject that we'll need you to have the basics down before we can even touch it. Strength and Agility are self explanatory, while their calculations might might be complicated, they're power and speed respectively. Perception is how aware you are of your surroundings, and Vigor is how long you can fight. Mana is magical energy, and not something you can use."

Raven nodded. More questions but those would be for later, as she noted the room seemed to be...melting?

"Time's up mommy. See you soon."

She soon woke up.

* * *

**Okay, first time I've ever done a fanfic, hope you all have enjoyed it up to this point, I've always loved the gamer aspects of certain fanfics but find the systems normally used a bit rigid in how conventional training is completely thrown out the window. This'll have some light elements from those fanfics but keep to itself at the same time. I may be going a bit slow at he moment, but I assure you things will ramp up quickly, I have no intention of letting the Branwen children sleep well for many more nights.**


	5. Warmaster's beginnings part 3

**Alright, this will be the fifth chapter. Let's do a review...1st, Rook died. 2nd, Jomcara came unto the scene like her F-I-N-E self, and made the lives of a bunch of backwater assholes mean something. She's nice like that. Then we got to Soichiro and got hit with the exposition hammer. I'm not gonna lie, that all could've gone better. Mostly Aundre's whole shtick. The whole setting was really bad for that kind of exposition. Talking like that behind closed door's would've been waaaaaaaay better. Also, honestly looking back over it I think Raven's whole thing with Malaise wen't pretty well but I didn't characterize her as well as the scene demanded. Though, I did a whole hell of a lot better than I originally are overall minor things in the greater breadth of the story, but I'll lock them down later, probably in the next one. I got this whole fate fanfic planned, it's gonna be fun. Doesn't even have Shirou as the main character this time!**

**Back on point though. Remnant is a fun little place. So much emptiness and so much potential, a fanfic writers wet dream.**

* * *

Raven got up to the sight of Merkava playing with his new knives and Qrow giving the window a thousand yard stare.

"Let me guess. Qrow finally decided to be honest with himself and let our resident fish boy here go down on him, and lasted about as long as I'd expect?"

Both men froze, looked at each other, and proceeded to gag like their lives depended on it.

""Fuck you Raven"" they said.

Raven laughed and crossed her legs. Giving them both a beaming smile. Aura pumping through her veins and the mourning sun on her face.

Life seemed to be a bit better.

"First, even if we weren't siblings, there's not enough booze in the world to make _that_ something any woman with anything resembling self respect could look at without crying." She said, pointing to Qrow. "Second." She pointed to Merkava. "You're hot enough, but not nearly strong enough. Plus, you hang out with my brother without being forced. I can't catch whatever makes that seem sensible."

Merkava gave a grave nod. "I don't think it's contagious, but I wouldn't risk it. There's no cure."

Qrow gave the two of them wide-eyed stares with his mouth hanging open.

"Okay, fuck _both _of you-"

"-didn't you already get saddled with the offload from doing that once with the needle? I mean, I've at least got the equipment for it, but let's not pretend it isn't expected that when an old scientist wanted to find out how to make a guy spread e'm and pop out a baby, Qrow Branwen was the top candidate who found a way."

Qrow gave her a deadpan stare, which quickly turned into a look of horror when Raven's grin just grew into the smirk that was irrefutable proof of Branwen blood.

"You aren't going to drop this, ever, are you?"

"Like you dropped the kid? Stop trying to deny it Qrow. You might say those dangling bits between your legs mean you're something maybe resembling a possible 1/80th of a man, but there's a reason every time we try to check we can never see it. I'm happy my sister is accepting who she is now. Don't worry about filing out either, I'll be able to make up more than enough for us both."

Qrow slammed his eyes tight and released a hard, long sigh. "Okay, no. I'm going to go take a bath. We'll talk about this whole Warmaster crap then. I'm not taking this."

"You took it before. You were screaming for it before. What's a little teasing compared to giving out the gift of life?"

"Merkava. Back me up-"

"Nope."

The fish man slammed the door behind him. He wasn't getting into this shit if he could help it. Qrow groaned and jumped off the bed, stomping off into the shower.

Raven though? Raven had something to do. She'd seen something that couldn't wait.

The freshly marked teenager got off her bed with and hop, skip and a jump right up to the door. The sound of water splashing marked Qrow freshening up.

She grinned as she opened into the hallway. She'd seen something when Merkava left. Something that needed her direct attention. Right there down the hallway was Junior, lugging a cart with clothes in it, talking to Merkava.

Specifically, a cart filled with dresses.

He noticed Raven and stopped dead. Merkava noticed her to, but there was a glint to his eyes. A power had taken hold of the man, making him rethink an earlier decision.

She was the living embodiment of that power.

She walked up to Junior, and with the two of them over him? The older boy sighed and gave a quick prayer for her brother. She shook her head.

Raven would never understand why they would always pray to their god and expect her to give them this weird 'mercy' thing. She had nothing in her resembling it, and for her brother? She only had much, much worse for him.

* * *

Qrow, naked but for a bath towel wrapped around his waist, was whistling as he opened the door to the bathroom. The room was empty, silent. He preferred it that way. He honestly had a lot to think over-

**Big brother senses, because like _fuck _Raven was older**,** activated.**

Qrow jumped into a perfect Olympic level dive onto the mattress, smoothly turning on the surface of the fabric like it was butter, all to jump and launch himself through the door. He'd pay back Annabelle later for the damages.

Though he needn't have worried.

The second he flew over the last of the three beds from the door, said bed jumped off the ground and nearly slammed him into the ceiling. He barely managed to springboard off of it, land his feet on the ceiling while upside down, and jump to the back of the room all in one fluid motion before the bed crashed into the ceiling.

He didn't wonder about who'd done it. Raven was standing in front of the television in the back of the room, arms open, smiling like an angel who'd just conned satan and waiting with two pairs of dresses in either hand.

Merkava was dead to him.

Concentrating all of his strength, Qrow spun in midair, smoothly grabbing onto his towel and removing it, arranging himself so that if Raven caught him, she'd be getting a face full of a piece of fabric that had been hanging over his crotch.

She scowled at his ingenious maneuver and dived out of the way, and he gripped onto the desk holding the television up, accomplished some gymnastic turns that would've had a huntress whistling, and launched himself at the window.

Streaking was not looked well upon in Soichiro, but neither was it uncommon. Thieves den and all. He was almost there, just some broken glass away from freedom!

Then, two webbed hands caught his legs in mid air. A dead man was writing on his tombstone.

Then, there was nothing more than fabric, punching, and so, so much shame.

Then? Then Qrow Branwen stopped thinking. _ZA WARUDO _had forsaken him!

Forsaken all of his pride and self-worth...

* * *

"There is nothing on the face of this planet that will keep me from making your lives an unimaginable hellscape. After today? I have no sister. All I have is the devil herself and a dead fish."

Qrow was lying on his bed, refusing to move. He sported a busted lip, a chipped tooth, and negative pride. Raven had a black eye and Merkava couldn't laugh without coughing blood.

Both of them would go through it all ten times over again for this.

There he was, Qrow Branwen. Mourning his manhood in a frilly pink dress and panties, because Raven could delegate, and both she and Merkava were perfectionists when it came to art.

"Finally got my little sister in a dress. I wish I had a scroll, this is a historic moment. The day Qrow Branwen finally showed the world who she is by accepting the love of her amazing older, stronger, better, far more beautiful, far more intelligent-"

"Far more of a cunt."

"-at least I own it better, and far more humble sister."

Both men looked at her with a weird look, and she shrugged.

"I _could've_ put makeup on him, tied him to a bed, and taken one of the bikes in the back. Then, rode all around the town yelling about his 'transformation' into his true self, before selling him to Jin's brothel for the week as one of her new girl's. I swear that lady will do anything with a pulse as long as it's got cash, and you know she's been trying to get me on her market. One fresh Branwen chick on her roster could get her off my back though. Hmm..."

She gave Qrow an appraising look, and he started sweating bullets.

Merkava just laughed. Internal bleeding be damned.

"Bro, I-haha, GACK-I can't say I regret this but,-mphahaha-OW" He doubled over, but didn't stop shivering in pain and bliss.

"But we still gotta get to work on a bit of planning before we head out. You said something about the warmasters program before Raven woke up. You two care to enlighten me on what that was?"

"..."

That got Raven to sober up just the slightest bit, and Qrow grunted, pushing himself up on his elbows too look over at them.

"I'm still pissed. But Merk's right. Rav, I got hit with some weird spirit thing calling himself my son telling me we got drafted by some wackjob Atlas thug for some kind of drug test. You?"

"The same, but a girl."

* * *

The two explained what they'd seen and heard to Merkava. The boy in question looking back and forth between the two with eyes the size of dinnerplates.

"Huh...are you two sure you're not high or something?"

"Pretty sure...kinda." Both said.

It was quiet in the room for a while, simple, and a bit solemn. Raven just looked out the window for a bit, then clicked her tongue.

"Well. I suppose this is lucky for us."

Qrow looked at her and raised and eyebrow. Merkava had turned on the TV and was sitting on his bed. He didn't really seem to be all there and neither twin could really fault him for that. They'd just told him they were drafted super soldiers more or less, and he just had to stomach it. Raven was serious though, and made sure to address both of them as she continued.

"We've got everything we need to be able to take on enemies on the level of hunters now. We have aura, their little secret, and trainers custom-made to turn us into war machines. What more could we ask for? If things are like this, we can turn the entirety of Anima on it's head! Make the tribe into a legend like it _should _be, and never have to worry about another Grimm attack again. We'll never..."

She faltered at that, and both Qrow and Merkava gave her worrying glances. She shook in slight rage at that, but huffed out the rest.

"...We'll never have to worry about losing anyone again."

Both of them straightened up at that.

"Rav." Qrow said. "Yo, sis...you do realize we ain't the only ones? The spirit in my head, Junos, was pretty damn explicit when he said we weren't the only ones in this. This Lanam guy? He wants to turn the surface of remnant into a goddamn Grimm site. We're not getting out of that just because we stick to Anima. Hell, from the sound of the whole gig I doubt we won't be roped into starting the next fucking great war when the revolution ends. This shit comes with fucking cost-"

"-and so does everything worth fighting for Qrow. Did you, when you were even more of a brat, ever stop to think about what it would take to become a huntsman in the first place? I seriously doubt it was ever going to be as straightforward as running up to a school and hoping for the best. We've got front row seats to the next Great war, and that at least means we've got a chance at _surviving _it. Other people don't get that. We'd be morons to waste this."

"I think, you two are seriously overlooking some _big fucking issues_."

A calm, quiet voice said. Both turned to Merkava, whose gaze was boring into the two of them.

"You're acting like the rest of the world is just going to sit by and _let _something like this go down. I don't know if you two remember anything past getting blitzed so hard blood was pouring out of your ears that _I _had to mope off, but Anthropology is the study of human nature and society. You think the kingdoms are just gonna sit back and bend over while some rando's across remnant suddenly get a superboost and start tearing up the place? I sure as fuck wouldn't be doing that and I'm a fucking _bandit_. Like _you two. _You think that Lanam guy didn't have to learn all the shit he did? That there aren't others who can pull all of the crap those two robo-magic teachers locked up in your heads can put you through? You two? You're pushers. If Lanam wanted you two not to croak the fucker would've had hunters sticking to you. Given you weapons. Given you _something. _But he gave you the goods. He gave you hot shit so bad it got him kicked out of the silver goddamned city, and he left you to the streets so he could take notes on how many stab wounds you got from getting shived by every bastard from here to Anselm."

Raven clenched her fist, and glared back at Merkava. "Listen Merk, I know you didn't get a pretty little fairy godmother like the _important_ kids, but like fuck that means you get to talk down to us. The plain and simple of it that you seem to like to miss? Is that we've been given a one in a million opportunity. Won the fucking Lien lottery. That's it. It's what we do _next_ that's important. Like mom said, all we have in front of us is the choice in what to do next, and it seems pretty damn clear that taking the fucking reins seems like the sensible option. Qrow, you honestly believe hiding under a fucking rock is any better? I doubt Junos or Malaise would even let us. We're in this, and we should be planning on how to take things to the next level."

Qrow hopped off the bed and stood in front of Raven. He had a hard look on his face, which had Raven struggling not to laugh in light of the fact he looked like a pissed off drag queen princess. Qrow ignored that, and put a hand on her shoulder with a pleading look in his eyes.

"Look Rav, I'm not saying we shouldn't do this, but it's not gonna be easy. Hell, where do we even start? We can't just rush into this."

"You're right on that front Qrow. Listen."

Merkava bumped up the volume on the television.

_"Reports are coming through now. The sandstorm and the diamond pike as they have been coined, have both been confirmed on the battlefield. Huntsmen from Vacuo and Vale respectively. This is an unprecedented upset. The four Academies maintain that their stance in staying out of the war hasn't changed and that these two are lone agents. But fear not people of Mistral! Our allies in Atlas will not bend to the animals as the lower kingdoms have! Why, Atlas has even been courageous enough to reinstitute long-abolished laws that allow us to properly place the animals in their correct positions, as pets who obey the words of their owners. Some call it slavery of old, and yes, there are mad and sick dissenters even in the glorious brother nation of cold, but again, fear not! I, Silivus Bracken, am coming to you from the bastion of proper human order known as Yentaka, just outside the walls of the Capital of the kingdom! We hold strong here, and the beasts that ply their trade, fornicating with the creatures Grimm to gain their horrific appearances, will no-*Crash*"_

The screen faded in and out at that. They got a look at faunus militants breaking into the man's station through a hole in the wall. A hole that showed a city on fire, with riots and gunfire aplenty. One of the militants was holding the camera to the hole, and letting the explosions speak for themselves. The kids could even make out vague black shapes in the distance. Grimm. Which said all it needed to about the now erased city of Yentaka.

Raven slowly adopted a more confused look as she took in the spectacle, and slid her gaze to Qrow, who was silently taking in the carnage. She slapped a hand to her face.

"Oh you fucking pussy-no, that's an insult to the superior equipment of the better half of mankind. Qrow, are you seriously weeping for an asshole and his burnt up village? Hell, the fucker made Aundre look like a frontliner for the revolution."

"No. You fucking know that dammit! But...shit Rav, all those people? They...they, well they..."

"Are dead. They couldn't defend themselves, and they are dead. People die all of the fucking time. _We're _usually the one's responsible, and we damn well know how many villages fall to Grimm even without a bandit tribes help. Merkava. What the fuck are you trying to pull?"

Raven jumped up onto her own bed, Qrow's, and landed sitting right next to Merkava with one more hop. Looking him dead-on.

"I'm not expecting the whole world to just bend over and take it from me. But I know they'll still fall the same way that they do even when I don't have a magic ghost, girl, not-daughter _thing _in my head with the keys to make me one of the best in the damn world. We spend our days killing and taking and do better than most even without all this magical shit. With it? There isn't anything in the world that can put us down if we try."

"...you didn't get a _bit _of what I was trying to tell you Rav."

Raven snorted and shoved Merkava back. He fell on the floor, but didn't make a peep.

"Then what the fuck _is _your message fishman?! The way I see it we have a plan: Get weapons from Jackai. Train in the camp with these spirits helping us become badasses. Maybe kill some Grimm or Rouge hunters for training and some Lien on the side, whatever. When we're strong enough to make even trained huntsmen our bitches? We go on a rampage and show the tribes of Anima who's top dog. We get our seat on the the Ecali."

At _that _Merkava scrambled off the floor and got back on the bed. Qrow was right beside him and soon all 3 of them were huddled together with their arms over each other, just like a group of girls in a movie at a sleep over, discussing boys like it was one big secret. Except, the boys they were talking about right now could and would make them wish they were never. _Never. _Born.

"Raven." Merkava said, whispering, because his life absolutely depended on it. "I knew you were always the kind of chick who went for the throat, but now you're jumping down it. Hell jumping into an _Ursa's_ throat would probably be smarter! Why the fuck are you dropping _the_ name like that?"

"Because it's what we have to do. The Ecali-" A shove from Qrow had her gritting her teeth "-_Those people, _are some of the strongest badasses on Remnant. The big families. We get the Branwen name there? We show all of Remnant we've got power. That messing with us? Just thinking it deserves a bullet to the throat, because you don't run into a pack of Grimm thinking you'll come out in one piece, and we won't be people any better to play with. It'll be proof of our might."

"I can't believe this. You actually buy that crap sis?"

"More than I buy you of all people becoming a huntsmen."

Qrow winced, and Merkava gave Raven a look, but she was adamant.

"No. We aren't going to pass this over. Qrow, you said you didn't want to kill people? Because of mom?"

The boy faltered for the slightest bit, and for all of them, it was back; the bitterness. The pain. The rage. Qrow could see the same in Raven's crimson eyes.

The loathing. The despair. All from just bringing her up enough.

But it just made his gaze harden.

"Yeah. I fucking know how stupid it is Rav, ya don't have to remind me of that. But shit, do we have to stay bandits? Mom _never _wanted this life for us. Aundre can go fuck herself but she's right about one thing: we're part of the reason folks like her and Jackai can't be seen with others in the kingdoms. I always thought that was bullshit, but after the funeral? The attack? Come on Rav, Merkava, there's got to be a different way."

Raven gave him a look like he was the biggest idiot in the world, and Merkava...

...Merkava was glum.

"Merk?"

The young faunus let out a sigh. His fish membrane was flaring, and Qrow knew that meant he was uppity.

Bastard was always tough to be around when he was uppity.

"Listen Qrow...I get what you're saying. I get where you're coming from bro, I really do. But I also think you're letting your feelings get to you. I mean, you're one of the coldest guys I know. You're only a couple notches below Raven in terms of how dirty you get when push comes to shove, and you're talking about giving it all up out of nowhere? I don't know what Rook-"

Both of them winced.

"-said to you two when she died, but it's definitely put you two on the warpath. This whole shit with the Warmaster's asspull sure as fuck didn't help. Raven's talking about _them _and jumping at the chance to run into the fire, and you're chomping on the bit to find some way to look up to all those hoity-toity bastards that hide behind the kingdom walls and drink tea from golden cups and prance about without so much as working a day in their damn lives in the jungle just to maybe grab something to put in their stomachs, and have them tell you you're hot shit. I think you two need to cool your damn heads and get things sorted. No matter what, we've got a job to do, so how about we get to doing it? While we're doing that, you two talk to those kiddie-sized leashes and learn what the hell you're gonna be in for no matter what, and we'll present whatever plans we come up with to Boss Malruk. Start and stop at the top, alright?"

Silence. Grave in the middle of the night, silence.

Raven was the first one to pull away with a sigh. "Fine. Dad's had a plan in the workings for a while now, so going to him with this should be the right call."

Qrow raised an eyebrow, and Raven let loose a small smirk, somewhere close to a smile.

"He wanted to find a way to send us to the academies to learn how to become huntsmen."

The boy gasped. But that gasp turned to a frown when his sister closed the door, and he remembered the only reason he'd ever be thrown into a situation like _that._

"All so we could learn to kill huntsmen." He said.

Merkava sighed and fell back, lying on the mattress, and giving Qrow a sad, small smile. "Thought old man Malruk had something in the works. The hunters were always something to be wary of and he didn't seem the kind to just let something like that hang over his head. Your dad's way too jumpy to let that slide and get along the way he does each day. Sorry Qrow...but it is what it is. Thanks for helping Rav get back on her feet quick."

Qrow clicked his tongue and started taking off his clothes.

"I got no idea what the fuck you're talking about asshole. You're the one whose going to be explaining to Annabelle why her ceiling now has a crack in it from where a bed conveniently decided to slam inside of it. Crap man, I thought I was gonna be paste."

Merkava looked to the ceiling, and winced. He'd always been stronger than most, on account of whatever fish his faunus trait hailed from, but this whole 'aura' thing...Raven at least wasn't wrong that it changed things. He was just wondering how much it really could.

* * *

**Finalmente! Our darlings are finally getting their time in the spotlight, making plans on how to attack their new issues, and now they've got a working plan...which is kinda just to lay low for a bit and figure shit out instead of coming up with a real plan. **

**They're genuine Teen's!**

**Anyway, I suppose the next thing on the list would be adventure. Don't worry you're little heads even a little bit about that, no, I have something approaching an idea...sort of...**

**I also need a beta reader to take care of spelling errors. At least something to clean it up for myself. **


	6. Warfront: Beast Stage 1

**Okay chapter 6! I really don't have much more to say here than that I really do hope for the best for our main cast! I might have a dungeon or a bunny raid in mind soon...but I really have a need to make this one work, yet still I can't quite tell how to make all the pieces move quite right. Eh, It'll come to me. **

* * *

The world of Remnant is a goddamn magnificent piece of work. A land riddled with not just horrific nightmare demons that constantly pushed humanity to the brink of extinction, but mystical creatures that parade through out the lands, magical stones called dust and all sorts of insane powers and abilities from those called huntsmen, even some not well understood or used. Qrow Branwen had everything he'd known about the world he lived in just expanded _far _past the basic strange reality he and many others had just been forced to kind of accept. He was now possessed by something that was a spirit, yet not a ghost, because that was something different and said 'spirit' didn't like his 'improper usage of terminology', the fucking twat.

Said spirit was also hell bent on turning him into some kind of super warrior because some nutjob in atlas thought it'd be fun. The spirit was also his son. He was a father now, that is a thing that happened.

Yesterday was a weird day.

_"Yeah dad! don't you worry, I'm going to make sure you and aunty Raven become the best out there! Even better than the other Warmasters who have been chosen!"_

Qrow shook a bit on his bed hearing his 'sons' voice in his head, he'd had that little nugget dropped on him halfway towards Jackai's place and told it to Raven, who subsequently realized the good old _"Good morning mommy!"_ in the head way that yes, these brats could talk to and read their thoughts. They didn't read into their every thought, but when they felt that Raven and Qrow were 'stable' enough, they'd feel free to butt in and chat with their parents.

So far, they weren't all that chatty, but they were excited whenever Raven and Qrow so much as eyed someone else on the street. Hell, Junos practically squealed when Qrow noted two guys in an argument and flashed his axe to remind them they couldn't get into anything major around here if they wanted to leave at all. He was pretty sure it was in fear too.

Weird that.

But, as he took in the mourning air and the breakfast he and Raven scarfed down while Merkava was busy using his new powers to make fixing a crack in the ceiling go fast enough Junior wouldn't prattle to the big Lady what went down and land them all in a world of hurt, he couldn't deny a part of him was more than a bit excited. Sure his sister might be getting a bit, as his dad would say when they were facing an enemy tribe who thought they were hot shit, "shot up to the tits with hot air" but with how much easier it was to walk? How he felt like he had an entire ocean of energy just ready to let loose and how he could see farther, smell food and worse things just a bit better? The fact his life wasn't all that different from a real hunter was really sinking in.

He could see it when he looked at Merkava and Raven too. It was subtle, but they were widening their eyes and adjusting for their increased reserves just the slightest bit. It wasn't really some massive game changer like when he'd taken some primo drug they managed to find hidden in guys cellar after a raid, but it was there and it felt good.

_"That's somewhat of a difference brought on by our presence father. Normally you would feel an even slighter difference thanks to your aura unless you trained with it. What you're sensing now is my own aura just a bit, as it is intermingled with yours. That doesn't appear in your status screen either, and I, and I suspect my cousin in aunty Raven as well, are suppressing your experience of the magic we possess as a part of ourselves."_

_"...I thought you said I couldn't use magic."_

_"Internally, you cannot. Magic does not mix well with human beings. Molding it externally with willpower though dust is perfectly fine, but the human body cannot maintain a consistent supply of naturally occurring magical energy inside of it, and faunus can barely manage anything at all. It's actually quite a strange phenomenon, as all other living entities, even the creatures of anonymity, the Grimm, can manipulate and manage an internal amount of magical power. We however are spiritual creations and have no such limits."_

_"You thinking of backing me up with that shit anytime kid?"_

_"Of course! While there are limits to our aid, phantom hearts are tied directly to our parents father! Dr. Lanam wouldn't keep us from defending ourselves!"_

_"Um, alright then...hey, did you hear what we were talking about back at the hotel?"_

_"No. Well, I didn't. I don't really know what Malaise hears. We phantom hearts have strict limitations on contacting each other. A measure put in place to keep fellow warmasters from hunting each other down prematurely if they find interest in such a thing. I can't even sense her presence inside aunty Raven. I'd have no idea she was a warmaster in the first place if you weren't aware of her being instilled in the program at all."_

Huh. So no knocking off the competition before everything was set up? A bit of a bother.

_"Ah...father, you would have an interest in killing other warmasters?"_

There was more curiosity in that then hesitance, but Qrow noted it all the same. Just like a new recruit into the tribe. He nearly laughed, but packed it in at the last second as a cough.

_"Eh, well, that's what we're doing right? With the whole title, I thought this was gonna be some big slaughter fest till the last were standing?"_

_"Hm, that's certainly a high possibility father, but Dr. Lanam doesn't have any particular motive he wishes for you to execute at the moment. He can contact me and the other Phantom hearts to pass on messages to our respective warmasters, but the intrinsic goal of the project is for you to become your best selves. Most powerful at any rate. What you do with said power is not something the good Doctor plans on telling you. There is no reward or motive given to any of the warmasters to kill each other outside of what they themselves believe is necessary. The only condition is your training, and even that you may reject past a certain point."_

_"You saying I can just let all of this go?"_

_"Correct. The main responsibility the doctor would not let you escape is gathering even the slightest sliver of data in regards to your bloodline. Once I have helped foster and recorded the results of that, then you could completely drop of out of the entire program and completely forsake your training."_

Huh. Qrow had to give it to the doc, he was crazy but he had standards at least. He'd heard about shit like this from evil scientists in the comics his parents would steal for his birthday. Something about 'preserving the sanctity of the experiment' or some shit like that. Aundre back when they were kids was sometimes like that to, getting hyper excited about new gun designs and always yammering about how you had to be so precise in how much dust you loaded in to make the powder. Crap like that.

_"I would not disparage mrs Soichiro for that father. While I will defer to your judgement on the matter in regards to her quality of person, I can say that the measurements for dust in any environment are critical. I also assume that you accept taking the training I am instilled to grant you?...Please daddy?"_

Qrow reeled hearing that, and Merkava and Raven both stared at him. He just shrugged.

"Head's killing me. The pillow last night was a fucking rock."

They got the hint and played along. Honestly, they'd only talked at the hotel because they were sure there were no leaks. Out here was different territory on a whole nother' level.

Qrow sighed and put his palm to his forehead. Dad huh?

When he was a little kid that didn't know shit about the world, about ten if remembered right, he'd promised to be the best dad in the world and the best huntsmen in the world. Now he was 14...and the latter half of that promise was still gonna be solid. Probably. He didn't want to think on the former right now. They were getting close to Jackai's place anyway.

A big place. Some kind of weird mix between a factory and a mansion with a little bit of castle stuck somewhere in there. That was the home of the leader of the Soichiro clan, one of the big names in the outskirts underworld. A four towered wall around a building with five chimneys and smoke coming out of all of them at all times. A ring of Gears like some kind of weird Crown on top of the main building, always spinning. He remembered Aundre calling them cool, before Raven, Himself, and Merkava called it all what it was. Ugly as sin.

They regretted that when they heard it was her idea instead of her father's.

After the front gate and some schmoozing, it was a hop, skip, and a jump over to the big man himself. That, and his 'special crafts' room.

"You guys outta appreciate some of my better works. Trust me, you'll be more than satisfied with what your about to see. Be grateful."

Guns that looked more like canons with multiple muzzles lined the back wall. On the sides there were beautiful weapons of all kinds; krusigrama, spears, swords, wind and fire wheels, axes, hammers, and a whole lot more. Even some pieces hanging from the ceiling too. Qrow, Raven, and Merkava were floored as near all of them seemed to be mecha-shift and Jackai just wandered inside with a too huge, absolutely smug grin all across his face he knew he deserved.

"Well, I do believe you're quite pleased with my little hobby room? And before you ask, yes, these babies are for sale but usually only to huntsmen-level combatants and there aren't too many of those on the down-low, and especially out here in the boonies, normally at least." He gave them each a funny glance, and they got apprehensive. Qrow licked his lips and Merkava bunched his shoulders while Raven just met his look dead on.

Jackai just gave them a smile like they were adorable kids playing in the sandbox. How'd he find out?

"I suppose giving them to you, one could hope right? That something could happen. So yeah, I make these for fun basically. Now. Firstly, Merkava may I have a look at those two beautiful knives at your side? They're sheathed, but whoever did them did them right because I can taste the quality from here. GIMMIE!"

The three children were more than a bit put off at a full grown adult acting a full percentage of his age, but Merkava unsheathed and gave up the two knives and let Jackai look them both over, letting him get totally transfixed in the metalwork for a good solid minute. With a smile he put the ends of the handles of both blades near each other, and with a 'click' their ends extended out and connected at an incredible speed. Both blades unfolded at an astonishing rate until within half of a second, Jackai was holding and elegant and jet-black long bow. Everyone was gaping at that.

"Alright fish boy, I gotta give it where I gotta give it, I doubt you'll find something much better than this beauty in my workshop. This is umpteenth level Atlesian work here. The mechanics may seem simple, but you notice the muzzles inside the upper and lower limbs of the bow? Those are miniature dust-package specialized grenade launchers and they can do an assload of damage with the right payload. Trust me when I say a pinpoint attack of something seriously deadly is worth a whole hell of a lot more than a huge all or nothing explosion sometimes. But do keep in mind overkill is always the best kill. Anyway, this bows drawback is intense. Merkava I don't know who gave this to you, and while I should probably be asking I don't think Malruk would appreciate me diving head first into his business. Word of warning, since it's pretty obvious you had no idea this thing could do any of what I just told you, on the part below the grip this thing has a dial for how heavy you want the draw to be. It goes from normal pull back which is enough to take down most mid tier grimm to strong enough to penetrate the hides of serious beasts, and word to the wise you don't have anywhere near the strength to pull that off right now. Not unless you lined the strong with lightening aspect gravity dust...or mix wind and gravity to alter the concentrations of force...or maybe with radiation you could...mmm..."

Jackai shook his head and snapped out of his though process, before he handed the weapon back to Merkava after he'd shifted it back into a pair of knives. "Okay, that's done. Remember, hunters-if you ever manage to become a fighter on that level-can dodge bullets and launch attacks so fast and strong that they make a good amount of modern armaments seem like crap. But there's still a sharp amount of them that have taken to using guns for a reason. When you make the arrows for this thing, make sure they're designed to kill whatever they hit, and that they can shoot _through _a machine guns spray at the very least. Qrow, Raven, look through the place and figure out what you want." Jackai just grinned that grin of his after telling a minor to make sure he could match most modern implements of heavy warfare to not be shit, and went further into the place and grabbed a book, before sitting on a comfy armchair underneath a shining chandelier they noted had dust crystals instead of lights, and put his feet up on a desk made of steel plates welded together with bear fur over it.

"I'll be waiting"

They spent about twenty seconds reconciling the oddity of their non-blood related uncle's personality, before getting down to the business every kid in the world treated like the second coming of the gods.

New stuff!

Qrow ran through the place, muttering under his breath something that sounded suspiciously like "scythe, scythe, come on baby gimme that sweet, _sweet _edge!" which everyone ignored, while Raven carefully thought about what kind of weapon she wanted.

She preferred swords, and consulted Malaise in her head as she walked. That was a bit of a difficult conversation, but the gist she gleaned was that Malaise would be able to help teach Raven how to use any blade she chose, but that she should also try and gain a secondary weapon capable of dealing long range damage and her blade should have more than a few tricks up it's sleeve. That last bit was more something she wanted than Malaise but either way as they looked around Jackai's workshop, this was the objective on her mind.

The glint of a bit of gold hit her eye, and Raven turned to look at a display case hidden under a tarp. She pulled it off and gasped at the sight. Jackai heard the tarp and looked up from his story with a smile.

"Nice choice Raven, those are my samurai collection, I call e'm the shogun's five birthblades collection. Cause' they're fit for a king's birthday present."

Five katana's, each beautifully made and singing for blood so deeply Raven could practically feel the desire for war caressing her skin. The first was a blade looked to made out of pure silver with a black handle that had some kind of smoke design right above it's edge. The next was a pristine and bright blue sword that appeared translucent? with a golden handle and black guard. After that, in the middle was an amazing blade that seemed to give off a slight heat even from behind the glass, while the blade itself was pure gold with a white handle and equally golden guard. For some reason, despite her personally believing that blade was unquestionably the most beautifully made one...she found it difficult to imagine herself wielding it, as if she weren't capable of the act...

In any case the last 2 blade were what she could really see herself using. One was solid black with purple engravings on it, a gray handle and a red gaurd. If all of the blades had something of a presence this one had the least of it she could feel. It reminded her of a nuckleeve trying, and actually _succeeding_ to hide underneath a rock in the middle of the road, but when she looked directly at it the image of a large pair of jaws coming to swallow her whole obscured her vision for the briefest of instances.

Raven blinked. _"Is this some kind of weird hunters magi-wait, they have aura, Malaise, what's up with that sword?"_

_"The blade does indeed possess mystical qualities. But they're very latent. You wouldn't feel anything at all from any of them if I weren't here with you."_

Raven raised her eyebrow. Was the kid jabbing at her? She'd have to establish the pecking order later. In any case, the last blade was similar but very different from all the rest, it was a near simplistic steel katana. It reminded her of Qrow surprisingly enough, as if this blade was a shoulder to lean on, always there when you needed it. She wondered if...

"Nope" Jackai interrupted Raven's thoughts before she so much as spoke. She looked up, her uncle had appeared right on top of her.

She was very, very still. This felt too much like uncharted territory, and Jackai, even if she'd never seen it, had a line in the sand and she was only mostly sure she hadn't crossed it. That was the funny thing about criminals. When killing was an option people didn't like putting up a front anymore, and you quickly learned just how unstable most really were. She lived in a tribe full of men and woman where each of them could strangle a man to death and consider his family property to be sold to the highest bidder they now owned afterwards.

Wariness was more of a constant in life than something you could have creep up on you in that life. Luckily, Jackai didn't do anything and kept talking.

"You can only take one Raven. You've never dual wielded and trust me when I say just one of those blades is enough for you right now...though it will pain me to see the set come apart." The girl sighed. Compatibility aside no bandit could look at a display of swords like this and just not ask for all of them! Raven actually felt it was more along the lines of anyone or anything breathing, but that was besides the point.

_"Malaise, anything to say on this? You think there's a way I could use all five blades in combat? Sounds a bit iffy to me but I hear some hunters even use trumpets and chairs for weapons these days, so there's gotta be something right?"_

_"Using 5 blades in combat, especially ones such as these which grant unique abilities we can bring out with training, certainly is an option. But I don't see any real method of making that work at the moment. At best you would wear all five at the same time and change out blades in the middle of combat, but that's particularly tricky to get down. The best you could hope for would be some method to instantly change whatever blade you were using at the time, which even with mecha-shift, may be possible but I doubt you could convince him to make that-"_

_"_Hey uncle Jackai. Can you make a function where I can use all of these blades at once?"

"You're a fucking greedy bitch aren't ya?"

"That isn't a no."

"Bitch. But my god niece all the same. Hm...yeah I could maybe with sub-space tech. But where would you pull a new blade from in the middle of a fight? Your hip...no, that's traditional but I'm not sure it takes full advantage of the tech...plus, you need a gun. Where to put the gun...hm...tell you what. I'll give you one blade. You grab a lesser one for training in dual-wielding if you want to, and I'll throw in a mecha-shift attachment for whichever sword you pick from here that lets you sheathe the blade and have the sheath turn into a super gun, or a regular gun if you don't want to sheathe the blade."

"Does the regular swords sheath turn into a gun?"

Jackai scoffed. "Of course. Same specs. What do I look to you, some kind of clown?"

Raven rolled her eyes.

"Jackai, can these blades do anything by themselves?" she got herself a rub on the head and a grin for that.

"Like previously stated, I am no clown. The middle one, Jin's Asai Kongju, can emit waves of heat with one swing if you click a trigger on the grip. The one on the right to it, the black blade Muralashka? That baby lets loose a buck shot of gravity and shadows through the same trigger as the other blade. The other's are designed for better use under someone who can use dust weaving, but all 5 can be used for that. They aren't regular katana by the way, they're all odachi, long blades."

Raven looked over the blades, she'd noticed they were longer but hadn't really thought much of it. Although that did up the coolness factor.

She chose Muralashka. Night eater in the old language of Mistral according to Malaise. Jin's Asai Kongju would definitely make a better sight on the battlefield but she found herself unbearably hesitant to pick up that blade, for some reason, even though she personally found it the best of the bunch. Jackai showed her the handle of the blade actually used a little bit of sub-space tech to hold dust to enhance it's special attack. She really didn't get it but Jackai was really excited, talking about how it was some kind of revolutionary thing that would change how packaging worked forever and make all weapons able to be a thousand times more kickass in the future and he couldn't wait. Anyway, it's not like she couldn't appreciate the blades qualities when she saw Jackai flick open the decorative ruby encrusted with gold in the base of the pommel and put an entire half of a barrels worth of dust into a hole in the bottom, somehow.

That pretty much explained the whole concept more than well enough for her. Logistics were gonna be a nightmare figuring out where people had hidden shit when the tribe went out raiding though...

He capped it off and told her to put in the dust types she felt worked best for her, but that anything other than gravity or shadow dust would just mix with the base attack and cyan and certain types of rare dust like spacial or time dust, and other types of dust like them, would just cancel out the effect entirely and she'd have to fix the damn thing at that point if there was even a sword left.

Considering that this was the first time hearing that dust that let you _move through fucking time _was even a thing, Raven was pretty sure she wouldn't get anything confused. It seemed just a little bit impossible. Just a bit.

"I should also mention, again, that this blade only uses dust to enhance it's base effects. At a basis, without any form of extra fuel of any kind, it can create an effect on it's own."

Raven sighed. This was just like when Qrow got a newspaper on something the Grim Reaper did. She liked the woman, really, it was hard not to like someone who was not only a huntress of all things, but one of the best. But listening her brother goad her into letting him gossip about all her cool Grim slayings got old when she was seven. It wasn't any easier to listen to now, but Uncle Jackai holding the magic sword. That gave him a lot of Raven points.

"That sounds amazing." She said without any form of sarcasm or whining whatsoever. Which shouldn't fool anybody as to what she really thought.

To Jackai, her compliance was never a factor.

"It's the reason I've been able to get Mistral calling home to me for new weapons! Very few forgers in all of Remnant can infuse dust with a blade and have it still capable of withstanding the power a huntsmen out pours to take down powerful enemies at all. we either have to use unique metals or infuse dust like earth or metal to reinforce it. Usually, if you do try to use another type of dust, all you end up with are different colored weapons that do a bit more damage hunters won't touch. You know Qrow's axe? That stupid thing can sting just a bit whenever it cuts something because it's reinforced improperly with fire dust to become a slightly above standard weapon, but, if a hunter were to infuse their aura into the thing even accidentally? The dust inside would explode taking the weapon with it. Not this baby though!" He presented the blade like it was some kind of holy relic, and Raven had to admit the analogy worked just a bit.

"It's not just capable of handling the technique and giving you what you need to take down anything you want, but because it can handle dust infusion? The blade can adopt the special qualities of the specific dust. This one's infused with shadow and gravity dust-" She'd guessed "-so if you give it to someone who can't even use dust weaving, it can still grant extra effects aside from the scatter-shot by taking in aura. Hunters infuse aura into their weapons normally to use special techniques like the moon slice, or to increase their capabilities. But it's not too common. If someone attacks the blade, depending on how deep the connection is between the hunter an their weapon, you could lose aura to the attack like you got hit. It's a risky maneuver, but with a blade like this? It's a gamechanger! Aura infusion isn't all that hard to teach, even to soldiers of all things. The theory is really quite interesting-"

Raven nodded as much as she needed to until he was done jerking himself off, although even she would admit he'd totally earned it, and took the blade from his hands with awe, admiring the sword as she listened to Malaise explain what the hell she'd just been told.

_"The blade is part shadow and gravity magic and when you pour your aura into it which is something I will teach you how to do later, you can use shadow and gravity magic to an extent. It's basically a ritual circle in the shape of a sword, though what the old man failed to explain was that powerful enough dust mages can use even the improperly applied dust in weapons like Qrow's axe to utilize similar abilities. Though making such available for the common folk is, undeniably, an act of a grand blacksmith."_

"JACKAI! YOU COULD'VE TOLD ME YOU DIDN'T HAVE ANY SCYTHES IN HERE!" Qrow shouted as he came back lugging a large buster sword over his shoulder. He was trying to make himself look pissed, but you could the sword was making that difficult. Probably just the fact he could hold it, although Raven noted doing so completely outed them as having aura and Qrow was having a little trouble balancing it.

It was about the same length as Raven Odachi, but about as wide as she was if not a bit more too. It was a lovely if plain thing like a giant butter knife and tinged blue.

"Agarum huh? Not a bad piece Qrow, not bad at all. She's just a plain old sword but made to take down just about anything and everything she fights. She's actually one of my more difficult creations, made using a bit of wind dust and a lick of of cyan in the edge. Good with dust weaving too, if you care to learn that. You channel aura through that thing and not only will you be stirring up hurricanes like there's no tomorrow, the edge will alight with cyan dust...though I recommend you don't try and touch the cyan while it's firing unless you've got a death with. Cyan dust is unwieldy as all hell. Now, both of you have the weapons you've asked for, so grab their sheaths and accessorizes, and get the hell out of my sanctum and get to the training fields! You lot better learn how to use these things or I'm going to be coming for them **and you."**

There was a bite in his words that the three ran out of the room at, not before all of them thanked and hugged their uncle of course. They might not be able to completely trust each other all the time, but their mother raised them better than that, and Jackai was still family in his own weird way. He even gave Qrow some blueprints for some ideas for a Scythe he'd cooked up now and then even if he never got to making any of them. Qrow bowed and thanked his uncle profusely before leaving.

"This goes for all three of you: Hunters make their weapons normally, or at least have a hand in the design. You idiots ought to learn how those things work inside and out, got me? Also, I'll have your 'delivery' ready in about three days."

The training field was a circle of dirt with some dummies for practice piled in the backyard of the building with the whole thing surrounded by a white brick circle. Made the whole thing seem like a small Colosseum without any stands. Merkava was the first to walk in and he turned to face the two immediately, "Okay, can your...phantoms help me learn how to use these things?" He displayed his knives.

Qrow raised an eyebrow, but nodded "Yeah, Junos says he can just tell you through us how to use it. Let's get to training"

And so the three spent the next 3 hours training in using their new weapons, a strange display of Qrow and Raven attacking their own dummies and giving out advice to Merkava at the same because somehow Malaise and Junos didn't need either of the two to look that often at him to actually _see_ him, and they themselves poured knowledge of the blade into the minds of the two. Didn't help for shit with their technique but they at least knew what to practice.

When the time hit 12 in the afternoon though, Qrow stopped and sighed. He'd been thinking again, and even _he _was pissed he'd been doing that now.

He turned to Merkava and Raven.

"We should go talk to Aundre."

Both paused. Raven merely raised an eyebrow and frowned like she'd eaten garbage, while Merkava just had a sour look on his face, but sighed in the end. "You're not wrong, I doubt we're gonna be lucky enough to avoid her all throughout the time we're stuck in Soichiro if we're the front and center show for her argument with her dad over these weapons. She's gotten worse and I'm not stupid enough to hit her but fuck if I'm going to take what she says lying down if she starts-GAH!"

All three of them fell on their asses as a great trembling ran through the earth and a large explosion could be heard. Qrow turned to see a plum of smoke and the sound of battle cries singing through the air, and all he could do was find it in himself to curse his bad luck.

Why did stupid shit always seem to be right around the corner?

* * *

**Well, it'd probably been a good idea to go into an Aundre centered Arc right from the get-go, but I feel like there's more momentum like this. Plus, there's not a whole lot left to go over and this fic has been startlingly lacking in fight scenes up to this point in spite of the fact the main characters are all bandits in a death world. Time to fix that.**

**Peace Mo'fos.**


	7. Warfront: Beast Stage 2

**Chapter 7, time to have a little bit of fun, just a bit. The worlds been set ablaze hasn't it? Why would the flames stay away from a pocket of people just because they want to be left alone?**

**Never happened before to my knowledge, but then, I don't know everything there is. Not even by half.**

**Anyway it's kinda nice writing fanfiction for once. Before, I always just reviewed and gave my two cents, but actually putting pen to paper (you get the idea) and making it myself for once gives me an appreciation for what fanfic writers go through. Also, it makes me really anxious for a beta to at least clean some of this crap up. It take's way to long to do that myself, and you can't have _any _errors in grammar, so everything goes pretty apeshit quick trying to scrounge up the time to put things together on the side.**

**Nevertheless, let's begin the first act in what I like to call; _two birds and a fish walk into a bar full of dynamite and-_**

* * *

Merkava was many things. A thief and a killer of men. A faunus in a world where the place of those that held that designation was shifting and it meant both great good and great bad to come. He'd seen men take women and crush their souls; he'd spilled blood to eat the next day; he'd watched people he'd sat next to and chatted with, fought with, played games with and even danced with be killed by monsters wrought of black and bone and everything wrong with all of nature. All seconds after they'd promised they would go into a village next chance they got and ask some simple girls out.

Therefore, it did not take him long to realize that walking towards an active warzone was anything less than the most idiotic decision imaginable for him right now.

So why was Qrow proving himself to be a grade-A moron and running _towards _the fighting?

"Are you fucking nuts?" He screamed into his ear when he caught up to him.

They'd all clutched their new weapons when the fighting began but after a minute, Qrow bolted and he and Raven had decided to catch up. It was then he realized they'd gotten a bit more used to aura than he had. When and how he didn't know, but they were moving faster than him and it took more effort to remember how to best use his new not-magic-because-that-was-something-else power. It was always active, but actively _using_ it was a bit trickier than he'd thought. Like a muscle he'd always had but was just realizing was there, and even if he could (as metaphorically as possible) feel it now, that was different from using the damn thing. That had been a big part of the beginning of their training actually: none of them were 'unhealthy' per say, as a life of fighting begets some physical ability, but there were special stretches and instructions on how to best move with their aura that Qrow and Raven had been whining to him about before they got to actually learning how to use their new toys.

Qrow shook his head, he didn't answer but he nudged his head over to a somewhat taller building and bolted towards it. Raven cursed and he wanted to bash his skull against a wall and Qrow's right open as they got closer the building.

Raven outpaced him quick and when they got right outside, people were streaming out and keeping their heads low, a few were began screaming but were shut up in whatever way worked best. Many bodies hit the ground that went ignored. If the three weren't used to navigating the forests without making so much as a peep, then that and the people around them might have actually been a big problem.

As it was, they managed through the press of people exiting the-storeroom as they now noted it-by getting to the back where nearly everyone was done moving out and getting inside. They lost Qrow for a bit but noticed him bolting to the top.

They realized what the fucker was up to pretty quick after that.

Raven and Merkava met Qrow at the highest point in the storeroom; a little bell tower attached to the top like some kind of candle on a birthday cake. He was looking at the fighting down below.

Merkava cuffed him in the back of his head and Raven kicked him in the side but all he did was curse and ignore them. A vein appeared on Raven's forehead.

"Okay idiot, mind telling us what happened? Did your little newborn son take the drivers wheel and decide to get a better look? Am I talking to my nephew?"

"You do realize I can spin all of that back on you, since I take it you haven't exactly gotten used to being called mommy either have you Rav?"

"Qrow-"

"I get it Merk. Listen, you two gotta know that Soichiro isn't just some random hotspot; it's one of the premier places for mooks like us to grab ammunition. Neutral territory. Whoever takes this place down has some balls, and that knocks off a lot of names. Remember when Aundre talked about Grenadine? Nobody knows who took them down, just that they got sacked. Nobody took the respect for blowing up a major trade town for the blacker half of Anima, how much you wanna bet we'll get for info like the fact the united faunus army is tackling Soichiro if they're the ones who did the hit last time? More on point, we get to see how hunters fight; these fuckers are awesome."

Both Raven and Merkava glowered at Qrow, but they still looked over to the battlefield. Hard not to, with a recommendation with the sheer awe in Qrow's tone. They could see shapes moving, and realized he was right. Their vision had gotten better with aura and they were just close enough to the fighting to make out what had to be animal parts on some of the fighters. It was taking place in a courtyard set against the wall surrounding the town, with the faunaus militia coming through a hole in the wall and aiming from on top of a portion they'd already taken.

The fight wasn't looking good.

Like Qrow said, hunters were here: the ace in the hole for the rebellion. Gunmen from the people of Soichiro meant shit when most rounds couldn't hit. They were resorting to rockets and dust-lined rounds just to be able to have a chance.

But hunters faced Grimm. Creatures who could do everything from fly, breath lightning-fire, and use mind-magic to literally drain a person's will to live. Cause sandstorms, earthquakes, and more. If these were fresh trainees, there might've been even a causality on the rebellions side. Maybe a chance.

But these huntsmen dealt with the armed troops of Mistral and Atlas on top of fighting those monsters. It was the worst hell one could imagine to live in, and they made themselves into demons through it.

The kids watched the hunters treat the men like dolls, two of them in the back seemed to redirect each and every dust round sent there way and blast the gunners to near bits with whatever element they repelled; blasts of black force the twins were told was gravity, pools of what looked to be some weird green stuff that everyone avoided, and bushes the size of small huts made of pointy shards of ice freezing people inside like cave men were what the defenders had to lovingly deal with. Another two of them were bolting through the battlefield, knocking down fighters on the ground on on top of buildings, because all the one's on the walls were down already, like living bullets that could curve on will.

This was not a fight, it was a slaughter that was taking awhile. Three kids were frozen like statues looking at it. As they should.

"This...this can't be right. The, um, the resistance couldn't afford to send four hunters this powerful to a remote village for no damn reason."

Qrow twisted his head the slightest bit, not taking his eyes off of the beatdown.

"You sure Merk? Looks like that's exactly what the fuckers did. And why not? Remember, the resistance draws troops from all over remnant, and Vale gave up practically overnight because they didn't want to deal with this shit. Vacuo never even put up a fight in the first place. No one knows what happens in Atlas except it's bloody and...no, wait, Junos is giving me a heads up and...wow."

Cue the fishman's hand on the young man's shoulder.

"What is it? Qrow, why would your ghost kid know fucking anythi-wait, wasn't that Lanam guy..."

"From Atlas? Yes. They're doing horribly. The people are barely budging but it's not like robot soldiers are a thing, so the only real defense they have is their floating fortress and what few hunters they have...and according to Malaise Atlas has always had the fewest number of hunters per capita of any kingdom...aaaaand now that I know what per capita means, I can safely say that if I had to guess why these many hunters are here, it'd have to do with the fact that Mistrals effectively fucked no matter what and Atlas is no condition to send aid. All they have are the best weapons around and loyalists...which are crazy fuckwits who think dying because their parents taught them being a corpse for nothing was better than lien and bitches. First I've heard of it but fuck, it exists. Now both of you be quiet, Qrow you roped us both up here and you and Merkava aren't paying attention."

Neither of them had let their attention drift from the manslaughter, but both raised an eyebrow at Raven's words.

"What are you talking about sis?"

"Do either of you see any red?"

Both kids widened their eyes. Raven was right, even from this distance they couldn't spot the telltale signs of an actual manslaughter. There weren't any signs of real bloodshed on the ground from where they were. Sure, fuckers were laid flat on their ass and you could be on the other side of the damn planet and still see that, but none of the teens saw a single hint of red on the ground that wasn't on someone poor louts body.

It became very clear what the difference was between huntsmen, _real _huntsmen, and normal people really was, right then. Also, Merkava sucked in his teeth as they all understood why the attack was happening now.

"Soichiro is property of the rebellion now, isn't it?"

Qrow was the first to say it, but they all knew it. The fight was still going strong and it seemed like there might be more the defenders had in store for the hunters if what looked like bigger weapons coming in from the streets from their viewpoint was any indication, but no one was kidding themselves. They knew a territory grab when they saw it.

"Oldest trick in the world. Make the weak know that they'll die, but show them you can prevent that, if they understand the pecking order."

"Hm...well Rav, when you're right I guess you're right. You think we can still catch Aundre before-wait, what's...?"

A bolt of something was jumping from roof to roof, and they had a hard time tracking it. It was a hunter, no doubt, but the kids wondered why it'd taken this long for one to appear.

"Maybe this guy was scouting for surprises...? Would make sense, these guys fight in a war righ-what."

The figure did indeed fall onto the battlefield, and when the figure got there, it batted away one of the figures of the hunters on the ground. Then the kids leaned forward, because the fight got interesting from there.

The figure seemed to be able to fly towards the hunters at a much faster speed than them, and when it got close it aimed some sort of gun in one hand and slashed with a blade of another make in the other. It danced with them like that, always avoiding hits from two or more at a time by seeming to be able to alter where it was at any time, and moving much faster than they could. Jumping into the air, falling to the ground like a comet, and then blitzing right into someone else's guard all in one movement, mixed with powerful weapons.

But the hunters weren't pushovers. Not by half.

The new enemy barely got any clean hits in, and after a short while, when it dashed towards a building a strange black force appeared the area around it in the shape of a sphere, and an explosion rang out.

The hunter shot a chain out of the dust cloud that appeared which wrapped around the hand of one of the dustweavers from earlier, but a weird distortion appeared around the chain-Qrow swore hands appeared in the air outside of the chain and _gripped _it-but before he could wonder if the ghost in his head was playing tricks on him, the dust cloud dispersed from a gust of wind and the maybe-hands disappeared as the chain was broken by their tight grip. The hunters from the rebellion all surrounded the figure in the crater made from that black force attack...which was in a strange white shirt and..black apron.

"Holy crap it's uncle Jackai."

That was Raven. Qrow and Merkava didn't say a damn thing. Their jaws were busy on a hot date with the floor. Merkava turned away and sighed.

"Dear gods above, are all the big families in the outskirts hiding monsters?"

"We make it look good. Also, don't forget you got aura too Merk, you're one of us now. Gonna nest with with a bitch like Cir back home and pop out some brats that'll shoot lasers from their gills."

"Fuck you too buddy. Fuck you too."

"Merkava. Pump Qrows ass open when I'm not in the room to watch. Qrow, stop begging to suck on Merkava's dick. When did I get such a slut of a little sister? I get the dude's got aura but he knows about as much we do about it. You can get his pants down later."

"Is the fight over? Also Rav, I note you seemed a little fixated on my pants and getting them down there, Qrow, my bro, when we get back to the tribe, I think I'm going to need the tent to myself for a bit-"

Raven whacked Merkava on the head with her sheathed blade. He didn't so much as flinch and stayed focused on the fighting with a smile on his face.

"Ass."

"Why yes, you may kiss it. Some people think it tastes like fish but I think you'll learn to love it."

"Dead ass when we get back to training. Qrow, Merk, the fights over. Let's get out of here."

They were absolutely right. The fight was ending. The four hunters were talking with Jackai and the soldiers of Soichiro were taking away their wounded with help from the faunus they were just fighting, while the rest aimed the armaments they'd prepared for the hunters at the forests, the hole and the skies.

Grimm were coming.

Nevermore were circling the skies and Ursa, Beowolves, Centinel and Griffons were appearing now over, from below and running into the town, many being shot down. Though with whatever deal Jackai had with the hunters now done, three of them went to face the Grimm alongside the towns defenses; and to make a long story short, Qrow, Raven, and Merkava felt it wasn't' really worth it to see the hunters kill the Grimm after a short introduction to what they could do to them. Hell, one of the two dustweavers just let loose a wave of fire into the skies that burnt up two whole clouds of baby nevermore like it was nothing.

The other ones weren't so kind. Things might've been worse if more negativity was present, but the people of Soichiro were not people who believed hardship was something special. The fact there were enough Grimm to warrant an attack of this size was what was really surprising honestly. When you believed that having to punch to near death or kill the person next to you for their garbage-found half burger was Tuesday, it took a lot to make you really fall down in the dumps.

Especially when you knew doing that would mean a demonic hell beast would suddenly be much more interested in knowing if you liver tasted different than your heart if you did.

The kids left the tower, and began to move out of the city.

"What the fuck does this mean? The rebellion weren't the ones that toasted Grenadine, but now Soichiro's fucked. Me thinks we're not getting those weapons we needed with those hunters breathing down Jackai's necks. We're fucked. Or do you guys know something I don't? Raven, you got any ideas?"

"More running for the buggy, less wasting breath."

"Not bad advice. If the situation doesn't call for it, don't waste your breath talking if you know you'll have somewhere else to do it. Good job Raven. Best bitch niece there ever was."

"Finally someone appreciates-oh, fuck."

Right in front of them, a certain someone jumped down from a nearby rooftop. A figure giving the three kids a lopsided grin, carrying a strange mechanical blade in his left hand and a strange contraption that looked like a shotgun with a minigun on the bottom attached in his right.

"Uncle Jackai! Fancy meeting you...well, not getting reamed by those hunters. What do you need us for?"

Qrow said it, but it was what they were all thinking. At least until Merkava widened his eyes and sucked in his teeth.

Jackai laughed at that.

"Merkava! You always were the better one when it came to deals than these two. Raven's too paranoid to make deals in her favor and Qrow's easy to handle if you can get him in the right mood. Why don't you enlighten them?"

"...when someone knocks down your door and starts putting their hands on your shit and you can't stop them, you either bend over or pretend to while stocking up to lay them flat later on, and the best way to do that against hunters is with other hunters. Other hunters wouldn't touch this place, but we're the next best thing."

Qrow and Raven slowly, slowly turned back to face their 'uncle' (pending the many other names they had for the man racing through their heads at the moment) and prayed, prayed and begged for this all to be some kind of strange fever dream.

The supreme grin of shit-eating he wore like the worlds proudest badge said differently.

"Oh in the name of everything there ever was and ever will be, what the fuck did we do to deserve this?"

Everybody turned to look at Qrow and by association, Raven. Just staring, until Qrow sighed and Raven wanted to punch something.

"Point taken..."

* * *

**I think I realize what the bigger issues are for writers of fanfiction and online free novels that release chapter by chapter now. Prose takes a dive since you can't invest the time to go over your work again and again and refine what you've written. Events can't become epic or meaningful as easily unless you're good at flying by the seat of your pants. **

**Not deal breakers by any stretch of the imagination, but it's interesting to find that such pervasive issues are things I at least didn't really notice until I was writing the damn thing. Huh.**

**I need a beta, and I'll try to piece together a plan. Pray for the characters in this story boys, pray for them. ****I am seriously going to be pissed if I drop this story on it's head for no good reason. Though, should that come about, I'll simply make the next one a million times better. Also maybe come back to this when I'm 50 or something and make a book out of it.**

**Anyway I could've made this whole thing longer than it is pretty easily, but I didn't because I just want a little time to refresh myself. I'm making a series here, gotta put in a little forethought. If anyone asks about that second story tell them my name isn't blackgold night and they're looking for the guy behind you've got to use silver. Also go read that. That, and Jaune arc: class wraith. Grade-A stuff there.**


	8. Warfront: Beast Stage 3

**Okay. It would appear that I've been gone a long time...and in said time I've had the space to look back on my work, and realize how off-putting it was. That's both the truth and a little difficult to explain, but the thing I've learned from reading my own work was that the story really needed to just flow better. It wasn't simply awkward, I just look at it and get the impression of random pieces of glass from different mirrors being smushed against each other and not fitting. **

**My jokes didn't land because they whole makeup of the story as I told it made them more cringy than acceptable. They could've, but now I get what the term 'amateur' really means. You just don't make something that completes the full image you needed to present. On top of that, it all doesn't flow together too well.**

**More explicitly, my paragraphs were a bit too long for anyone not me, events and the whole pace of things just moved way too quickly, things weren't synching up like I wanted because of poor presentation and prose, spelling errors, characters really didn't pop like I'd wanted, etc. That isn't to say I really disliked what I'd made. Quite the opposite actually. I think that whatever path I have in store to really bring out the complete power of this piece became a lot more open to me thanks to my not so little break from it. Anyway, after I Improve things from here, I'll go back and clean up the beginning at some point. Probably after the first arc is over.**

**Anyway. Let me try again as the author of this piece: Thanks a million times over for giving this a read. I'll make it something you'll cuddle at night for warmth by the time we're done. That's the goal my friend.**

* * *

Qrow yawned as he got up from bed. He blearily looked around.

Stone walls, a desk, a motherfucking _bookcase._

The last week slammed home in his memory, and he laid back on the soft sheets-a new thing in his life, and something he still couldn't quite believe-while he just...just took a moment for himself.

_What in the fuck was the last week? What in the gods names' cursed me and Rav and Merkava so fucking bad that all this shit got dumped in our fucking lot..._

Qrow, his sister, and his best friend were all property of one Jackai Soichiro. That had basically been one of the stamps on the long list of shit that had gone down ever since the united faunus army had taken the town. (No matter what Jackai said. Everyone knew the sound of freshly brought in lout before they were broken in)

Qrow almost wanted to laugh. Every time he thought back on all of the crap he'd been through in under 168 hours, it played out like a damn comic book! Thinking about it, he shrugged and tried to make a list of everything to really sink home what his life was now. Junos had said it was some kind of technique the Doc implanted into him and his 'siblings' to help his 'subjects' (Qrow had wanted to kill something when he heard Junos say that) get used to the experiment.

1\. Mom...is dead.

2\. Some fucking broad about as insane as an ursa major high on nirvana jumped them off the side of the road and forced them to be her and her boss's new favorite bitches. Save that where normal whores at least got a break when the head honcho couldn't keep it up anymore, in their case the fucking didn't stop until...well since Junos had told him he and Malaise couldn't be removed without killing or hyper-crippling (which was a thing. An actual thing that he very specifically didn't ask to know anything about) either of them, the fucking wouldn't stop. Hell, the way Junos worded it, not even death might be able to ever stop it.

3\. They got roped into a whole lot of fuck-you nope in a can. Courtesy of the united faunus army deciding to bust in right when they were in Soichiro looking for supplies. Jackai had to be in Soichiro to deal with them, but he sent some 'officials' of the Soichiro clan back with them and their supplies -he'd found that suddenly being in a 'joint partnership' with what was _probably_ the biggest active para-military force on remnant, getting along with Mistral probably wasn't something he had to worry about, ergo, he suddenly had a lot of fresh stock- and then they talked to dad.

"UUUUUrgggghhhhhh"

_Father? Are you having some kind of mental breakdown? Our conversation with grandpa wasn't something I feel is a subject for remorse. He may have been irritable at the thought of you leaving, but he ultimately saw reason._

_The man swore worse than a vacuan fisherman, broke half of everything in his tent, and nearly choked one of Jackai's mooks to death while guzzling down a bottle full of hard Novitar liquor and shooting another one in the leg. _

_...Is that not...appropriate...? Such things as context to such an extent isn't covered in the information I was provided by the good Doctor..._

_Depends on if your a street urchin, a wildlands urchin, or an upper crust fuckwit. From what mom said, happens more often to the upper crusts but the street urchin's see it too from time to time. In the wildlands, people tend to be more calm._

_Ah, because of the Grimm?_

_In the smart settlements, yeah. But also because people just don't have a lot to get that pissed over usually._

_In the end, Grandpa Malruk decided it was best to give you two aid, and he even brought the tribe to Soichiro! From my personal opinion, things went swimmingly. Also you need to get ready for training in about an hour. _

Qrow blinked. He got out of the bed and walked over to the window, where he saw that the sun very much wasn't as high in the sky as he was used to.

_What the fuck?_

_I decided to wake you up a bit earlier father. You tend to need some time to yourself in the mornings and aunty Raven and uncle Merkava get worried. I thought you might want more time to yourself, so I woke you up earlier. Plenty of time to feel better._

...

"What? You-what?"

Bullshit. This fucking kid thought it was his business when he got up in the morning?

_The fuck?_

_Ah-um, w-well father, I was wondering how I could help you get more used to your life as it is. You've been introduced to much as of late, so I thought it appropriate too-_

_THE FUCK? YOU JAMMED YOUR FINGERS INTO MY FUCKING HEAD AND DECIDED IT WAS YOUR GODS-FORSAKEN BUSINESS WHEN I PULL MY ASS OUT OF BED? WHAT THE FUCK NEXT?! You wanna hold my hand and guide me to the toilet bowel when I take a shit? You wanna force my mouth open and jam a toothbrush into my mouth to make sure my pearly whites stay that way? I TOLD YOU NOT TO PULL ANYMORE SHIT LIKE THIS. _

_I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M-_

_I DON'T GI-ergh, mmmmm-_

Qrow took a deep breath, grumbled, grit his teeth, and sighed. There was plenty of shit to get done, and this was not the time. His parents had both made sure Raven, he and the rest of the tribe knew how to at least stay calm under pressure. He took deep breaths in and out as he got ready, stayed as silent as he could in his head and manipulated the connection in the way Junos had taught him to block his thoughts.

Toothbrush in mouth. Underwear on ass. Clothes on. Cross on his neck. Agarum strapped to his back. New minigun at his side. Like this, he walked out of his room and marched to the training field.

He still wasn't used to not having his axe on him. You didn't let go of anything when you were taught to take everything from everyone else. But, Jackai had listened to him argue to keep his axe as a backup weapon, taken the blade out of his hands, and then made it glow with red light and blow up in a cloud of fire and smoke using huntsmen magic.

He got the message loud and clear. He was a hunter now, and there wasn't going to be a weapon on him that couldn't survive him if he planned to get to Jackai's level. Even his clothes were a bit better now: clean black pants with metal greaves and a matching shirt with gauntlets. Jackai even said he'd specially treated the metal to be more reinforced than normal for most huntsmen level gear, something Qrow and the bunch all thought was fancy as all hell when they got their new suits.

_Um-er...huntsmen magic-_

Qrow stopped dead in the middle of the hallway for half a second, growled, and kept on walking.

_I'm sorry! I'll be quiet again-_

_-listen you little shit. I'm only gonna say this once: I won't bust your balls over this, but don't fuck with my head and what I can do again, you hear me? It was enough of a mindfuck getting over that whole 'enhanced mental status' B.S. you put me and Rav through and didn't even tell us about until it was fucking over._

_...I apologize father, I hadn't taken your thoughts into consideration. It was protocol, but I should have thought it through..._

_Then prove it, and never fuck around with what I do again._

That got the bastard silent. Qrow almost wanted to get down on his knees from the thankful bliss of the asshat two-bit little man getting not just quiet, but at 'peace' inside of him. Even when they didn't say a damn word those two fuckers were still annoying as hell to deal with when their feelings blurred into Qrow's and Raven's.

They'd been a damn riot to have on hand ever since they'd stormed into their lives. When they first got on, they took them into a dream to get them on board with their sick doc's fucking batshit program, but what they failed to mention was that the state they'd been put in, a little _placebo _they'd called it, to help them get with the picture easier by making it tougher for them to get pissed _and_ making them able to understand the damn ghosts in their heads better? Well, it didn't go away easy.

Basically they'd been high off their asses ever since the two got in their system and it'd made them act like...like less than themselves. Closer to freaking _puppets_ who would just listen and take everything those two let drip like spittle from their preschool-level mouths like gospel. Qrow shivered thinking back on it.

_It was like...looking through another guys eyes? But you still know it's you? Just...less yourself. _

It was creepy, and when everything started snapping back into place, they'd been beyond furious. But the past was the past and Qrow pushed open the wooden doors into the training yard. He grabbed Agarum off of his back and started breathing softly, closing his eyes as he got into his stance in front of a dummy while holding the massive blade.

Five minutes of getting his head on straight, and old habits kicked in. There was a lot on his plate and he had to be ready for whatever next load of crap dumped itself in front of him.

_Junos. Help me through my stances. Tell me about the huntsmen magic that was going to make me badass._

_...Father, I must tell you again, that-_

_-Huntsmen magic is awesome? Don't worry, I know, that's why you're going to help me get it._

_...ah...alright. Aura, is again the fundamental power of the soul. It's light. Each living creature on the face of Remnant possess it, from the trees to the grass to the squirrels, to the birds and the monsters. The grimm, not being alive truly, lack it. You need to learn how to feel and use it. Infuse it properly into yourself. To give an example of how it ranks in terms of difficulty to learn to do, if a baby needs to learn how to walk, that would be called a basic aura technique. The ability to breath that the baby can already do, is this. Hence why you're already making such progress with it. You would never be able to fully infuse it if you didn't train at all, but you would still acclimate a bit even on an instinctual level with no training. With this, you'll be able to do gain amazing physical powers and far more..._

_We went over that, but thank you captain obvious. What's next?_

Qrow stopped for a moment as he actually felt...irritation, from Junos. Part of him, most of him actually, wanted to cuss out the fucker for getting pissed when he thought he couldn't pick up on the lip he was getting with that whole 'baby' shit.

But he'd met drug dealers before. He knew catching bait meant you needed to put shit to the side and get back to business.

_Junos, I'll take back the lip, but we've got a schedule here. Focus._

And we've got no time for your bitching, Qrow hid from the kid.

_...My apologies, father. To get back on point, your aura will grant you great strength, and with time even a completely unique power called a semblance. Semblances are direct interference's with nature that in terms of rule-breaking, go even beyond magic in some cases. Teleportation, Invisibility, stealing people's memories and turning into completely new creatures. Super speed, enhanced strength, the ability to make things appear out of nothing, and literally anything else...semblances are varied and many never even awaken to theirs, but it isn't at all surprising to awaken one and you most certainly will after enough time has passed. They don't come immediately, but everyone has a trigger of some sort. The doctors notes are certain of this._

Now that, Qrow liked. He liked that a loooot. Getting a superpower, becoming a huntsmen?

It sounded like paradise.

_You will go far beyond that father, for instance, your sword. _

_What about it?_

_Aura infusion, like I've just said, is a skill so simple as to be instinct. It's harder to do it with objects separate from yourself, but not by much. You've already tested out the blades capabilities without aura, you might as well attempt them with it no? That, and if you're willing I can teach you dustweaving easily._

_Magic?_

_Correct. The correct term is dustweaving for humans since using magic in it's normal state is basically impossible for you to accomplish, ergo utilizing dust is the only way for humans and any usage of magic is referred to as dustweaving for your race. _

_Magic._

_Dustweaving is a simple_ _art-_

Qrow snorted at the exasperation in Junos' tone.

_-But rather difficult to practice. You don't use aura at all to utilize raw dustweaving, you'd only use your will. The highest level of dustweaving works by inputting your willpower into a shard of dust and communicating your intent to the element it corresponds to, to invoke an effect. Basically put, you could enhance the power of your swords strikes without using a lick of aura if you gain enough discipline and practice. _

Qrow got a bit confused in the middle of his training, and missed a strike on the dummy.

_What the fuck does that mean..._

_It means father, that you can make explosions happen with your mind, without a bit of aura. _

_The fuck? How?_

_Dust does not operate on the power of aura, it functions by itself, and the greatest users of it do not rely on their soul's radiance to use it's power...but those are the greatest. I will admit that this is a terribly difficult road. Most hunters who employ dust beyond just using it to make their bullets special usually use their semblances or aura as a medium of sorts. They'll pour out either to use as a catalyst, and then throw dust into the effect, making what they want happen. It's a useful trick that allows them to use dust in their fighting style, but they don't have any real control._

_Okay...so our saying I can make my superpower light things on fire by eating fire dust?_

_..._

_Junos?_

_...that is...certainly an interesting response father, and actually not completely false...but not true. Let me try explaining it differently. There are two ways to use dust in fighting. Auric dustweaving is the easiest but also the weakest, while true dustweaving is the hardest but the most powerful, and also lets you do everything Auric dustweaving does but better. Which one do you want to learn?_

_True dustweaving. I ain't a pussy!_

_What does female genitalia have to do with mag-dustweaving!_

_Heh. According to dad it kinda bleeds into everything when you get married. But I think I get a bit of what you're laying down. I can either throw my aura around and do cool shit but not the coolest shit, or I can do the coolest shit with a bit more blood and sweat into the mix. No brainer which one I'm going for. How do I start becoming a wizard?_

_The technical phrase in common tongue, even if it's rarely used due to the rarity of the practice, is magus and there's actually an interesting hist-_

_Junos. Get to the magic._

_DUSTWEAVING as you seek to learn it is a process. You'll actually have to start using your aura at first, if only to make the practice of connecting to the elements easier. Even if you lacked aura it would be possible to connect to the elements, but harder. For that, I'll explain the limits of Auric dustweaving. They're rather simple: if you're using your semblance to control the elements you will be completely restrained by the semblances nature. _

_Huh?_

_If you can only make bubbles, you can only make bubbles that explode, shock, freeze, or poison whatever they touch. You can't make the flames into lances that spear your enemies, make serpents out of of lightning that entwine over your body and make you faster and deadly to touch, generate super-cold mist that freezes and breaks apart anything it touches...you get my point, I imagine?_

_Shit, yeah. But what about everything uncle Jackai was saying about aura infusion being the next big thing?_

_It's definitely a step in the right direction. Allowing people to use effects beyond 'click-click boom' in their fighting is a massive advantage for humanity as a whole if you don't have to train them in the fundamentals at all. Even if they have to exchange aura in order to get the full effect, given the current culture it's absolutely the right call. But it's not better than the old style yet, if it ever will be._

_Right, and the old style you're holding out on would be coming today or in two weeks?_

_When using dustweaving with aura you require a higher connection to the elements, but you can do much more than what you did before. You can alter the effects of your semblance to a degree, as well as cause minor mystical effects with some difficulty. _

_Chop it down talky. That's your name for the next month if you don't start making sense. _

_Your semblance becomes magic and you can do a few spells on your own. Also, aunty and uncle are coming. Goodbye father. Have a nice day._

Qrow snorted, but turned around. Merkava was yawning while Raven was grumbling about some assholes outside messing with her.

"Rough day sis?"

"Fuckers in the faunus army think they're hot shit. Told me I wouldn't amount to anything so long as I 'didn't fight behind a cause'. Upper crust bitches even in a damn bunch of ani-I mean, faunus..."

Raven barely caught her slip, and Qrow's eyes went a bit wider, but Merkava didn't even look at her. He walked over to a dummy and started hacking with his knives.

Cool as ice. Qrow sighed and thanked the gods for his friend again.

"Eh, you get that anywhere no matter your race, and we're not exactly the most 'reputable' bunch either. Bandit's don't tend to be looked upon well in most places, last I checked."

"Merk. They still giving you a hard time?"

"Nah. I told them I didn't want any part of it, even if we're winning. I'm staying the heck off as many battlefields as I can, since I'm gonna be getting an eyeful keeping your crazy asses out of the morgue."

Qrow smirked and turned to his sister. Raven was hacking at the dummy with purpose, like her life depended on it. It _did _he thought, but while Raven was the last person you'd expect to give up in anything, she'd been going at her training hard. When she got out of that whole mind-screwing courtesy of the kids, she'd holed herself inside her room and come out looking for something to kill.

Qrow sighed. _Speaking of which..._

"Merk. Rav. Any new info on what Jackai's having us pull?"

"Nah Qrow, the old's man's tight lipped on his next move, and I can't blame him."

"Uncle Merkava is trying to gain back his strength through us. I imagine that'll entail a lot of good training little brother, so you'd best be ready for it."

"Eh, I wouldn't say I'm that tight-lipped. Secrets tend to be just as good using them as not you know?"

All three of them jerked back and turned to see Jackai in his patented black apron and clothes standing in the middle of the training field. Raven's eyes practically blasted out of her head.

"How did you do that? Teach me!"

"Soon, young one. Soon...by which, I mean a couple months to possibly a year or two. Regular shits hard, and hunters pride themselves on being on a whole n'other level. Which includes training."

"That just means sleep less. Qrow can do that. Which means a _baby_ can."

Qrow scowled while Jackai chuckled. "No love lost between siblings eh? But your basically right. Now listen, normally to become a hunter requires years of intense training with variable results."

They each gave the man a confused glance, and Merkava broke the eyes. "Which means...?"

"Depending on the training you get, you could either come out at the apprentice age capable of throwing down with some more serious fighters and even a the weaker heavies of the world if you really put your all into it, and get tons of experience. That, or you end up a limping clown with barely any idea of what end of the blade is pointy. Right now, you're in kind of the middle of that spectrum."

"Uncle Jackai, we've fought and killed. We know how to fight."

"No Qrow, you know how people fight. You don't know shit about how hunters fight, and about a thousand times less than that about how Grimm, and I mean real, village-killing Grimm, _KILL. _They never swing unless its do or die, and you barely get that. But you do know something, which is good considering you're _at the apprentice age._"

They all blinked at that. "Hunters get sent to the academies when they're our age?" Raven asked.

Jackai froze hearing that, just for a moment. Just for a moment, he looked sad. The kids didn't know what to make of it, but eventually he started staring up at the sky, and after a while, continued.

"Kinda. You would be learning at one of the starter schools for huntresses and huntsmen if you were being trained normally, but how good of a fighter you'd be going into the academies would seriously start showing itself by now. And while most who go the academies improve? Not everyone does. A lot of the time they'll start shit when they're young, start training, get less shit when they're in the starter schools, and peak inside of the starter schools. What I'm trying to get across is, you're already at the age where most young hunters start to show what they'll become, and that's after loads of hard training starting at an age where people learn to shut up and listen better than they ever do again."

They let that sink in. Qrow gripped Agarum tight and Merkava glanced down at his blades while Raven just looked straight at Jackai.

"So? If it takes years normally, we'll just put in more work."

Jackai gave her a grin. "That's the spirit! We'll have you broken in the last."

"...what?"

"Well Raven, you're absolutely right that I don't plan on having wimps back me up of all things. That'd be a catastrophe. Luckily, you all will be top-tier hunters by the time I'm done. Then negotiations can start." _With the united faunus army _went unsaid.

They ignored it. They knew what he wanted, and not a one of them really cared.

"What do we do first?"

"Why, you're going to help the united faunus army of course, as my mercenaries. You'll start that in about six months, so up until that point I'll have you burning the midnight oil training with me and killing Grimm around the countryside. We might all die a few times since I'll need to really hammer in what you're about to do, and even I might not survive accomplishing that If I try _my _hardest, but what's life without a little risk? Plus, you've also got those pointers you picked up from whoever unlocked your aura, so it's not all bad. Oh, and another thing, you'll be on and off with Aundre training and having her fix up your weapons. She needs the lessons."

That had Qrow sucking in a breath, Merkava swearing under his, and Raven rolling her eyes almost back inside her head.

"Yes. I get that sending my daughter to practice with my brother was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. No need to remind me. Rook did enough of tha-er-you get the point. Sleep tight kids."

With that, they now knew what they'd be doing for the next couple of months, and Qrow looked down at his blade. Their uncle was going to be sending them to the battlefields soon...he needed to be ready.

He closed his eyes, and tried to push his aura into the blue steel. After about 5 minutes...

"Qrow are you trying not to take a shit in the training yard? It's new, I know, but there's this magical thing called a toilet I think might be the answer to your problems."

"Fuck off Rav, trying to do that whole Aura-infusion stuff Uncle Jackai told us we could do with these things."

"Is that why your sword is glowing?"

Qrow snapped his eyes open and looked down at Agraum-

-to see nothing was happening. Same Blue buster sword he was barely used to that looked more like some giant butchers knife. He flipped Raven off while she chuckled walking back to her dummy.

_Laugh it up Rav...I'll show you and everyone else what I can do soon enough._

Qrow turned back to his dummy with a serious look, and started hacking at it with meaning. Junos even poured back in soon, giving him pointers on how he was suppose to move and how much force each swing needed.

"One more thing Bro, you're not going to pussy out on us when it's time to cut someone from throat to scrot right?"

"Not in a million years."

He said it without even looking back, and Raven was satisfied. What nobody noticed however, was how Qrow focused during his training. Focused on the feeling of the wind, focused on all of his feelings, his hate, his pain and his love and everything that was swimming inside the half-orphan boy set to become a premier killer. He focused all of that on the feeling of his aura, and with a great slash, hurdled the blade towards the dummy in one big slash.

"HAH!"

He cut into the center of the dummy, ending the edge right in the middle part and...

...nothing had happened. He'd just cut deep.

With a sigh, he got back to work and tried to ignore the encouragement from Junos to keep trying.

* * *

**That's that. Goodnight. **


End file.
